NCJ Number
146622
Journal
Police: The Law Enforcement Magazine Volume: 18 Issue: 1 Dated: (January 1994) Pages: 57-58,61-63,75
Date Published
1994
Length
6 pages
Annotation
The concept of a citizens' police academy (CPA), originated in England in 1977, allows citizens to learn how to fight crime and gives them insight into the difficult job police officers face on the street.
Abstract
CPA programs provide an interactive forum for both the police department and citizens; graduates of these programs usually serve as community ambassadors for the agency and educate others within the community. Critics of CPAs argue that the program reaches only those who are already interested in the police; however, most programs strive to recruit all socioeconomic classes, races, and religions. The departments try to target people already active in the community but who may not necessarily be pro-police. Evaluative studies have shown that the primary beneficiary of a CPA program is the patrol officer, whose conduct and behavior is often supported by CPA program participants. CPA programs often use public service announcements to advertise themselves. Virtually all programs require potential participants to fill out an application form, and some may require fingerprints. The curriculum of most programs is delivered in both lecture and hands-on formats by experienced police instructors. Many agencies report CPA "success stories," in which graduates emerge as key witnesses and even help conduct crime scene searches.