NCJ Number
182921
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 48 Issue: 4 Dated: April 2000 Pages: 57-59
Date Published
April 2000
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article describes the development and content of the Citizen's Police Academy, which has been sponsored by the Sheriff's Office of Sandoval County (New Mexico) since 1995.
Abstract
There are classes for both adults and high school students. The adult citizens academy has 27 hours devoted to 27 instructional blocks, and the program for high school students uses 90-minute blocks for most topics, providing approximately 58 hours of instruction. Students are first introduced to the purpose of the academy, followed by an explanation of the qualifications for and recruiting of law enforcement officers; the importance of police ethics is also emphasized. The significance of writing skills and report writing in police work is discussed. The high school academy includes three classes on a program called "Scared Straight," as students are shown videotapes of prison inmates who describe how they came to prison, the rigors of prison life, and how they would have done things differently if they had another chance. Other classes cover driving while intoxicated, traffic enforcement and patrol tactics, and accident investigation and reporting. Forensic topics, such as fingerprints, DNA, and trace evidence, are considered in another class. Several classes deal with illegal drugs, including the risks of manufacturing, selling, and using street drugs. Other topics addressed are domestic violence, neighborhood violence, school violence, emergency response teams, and the legal side of law enforcement. Students pick topics for essays, which are read on the last day of class.