10-Week Police Academy for Erie Citizens!
If you’ve ever wondered just what kind of training a police officer must undergo to do his or her job, and the what, how and why of day-to-day law enforcement, here’s your chance to find out! The Town of Erie Police Department is offering exciting, hands-on learning experience for 10 weeks beginning March 3 through May 4 from 7:00-10:00 p.m. to foster better understanding between police officers and civilians and give citizens a taste of what life is like in law enforcement.
The Citizens’ Police Academy in the Town of Erie filled up within hours after announcing that it was accepting applications, but there’s always some people dropping out because of unforeseen circumstances.
Erie’s Popular Citizens’ Police Academy
Town of Erie Deputy Police Chief Lee Mathis talked about the motivation behind the Citizens Academy and why he believes the interest level in Erie is so high.
“We do it to show our community what we do, why we do it, how we do it,” he says. “It helps us when they understand what we’re trying to accomplish.” An additional benefit for the department he notes is establishing relationships in the community.
“A lot of our volunteers come from the academy, some of our board, even our mayor went through the academy,” Mathis says. “It’s a great way to get to know people.”
Mathis believes the Citizens’ Academy fills up because it’s so interactive. “You get to fire a taser, go through role plays,” he says. “We even take them to a firearms simulator and out to visit dispatch. And that interest level has been high for the past 10 to 12 years.”
In addition, participants will get an opportunity to ride along with on-duty police officers, witness SWAT team demonstrations, learn about criminal investigative techniques and officer survival
The Erie Community Gives Its Feedback
The participants who have gone through the academy all seem to love it. In fact, the only negative feedback Mathis can remember is people finding the course too short!
“Even though 10 weeks sounds like a long time, we do make a lot of friends with members of the community. People get to see the officers as people — not just badges with sunglasses. They’re dads and husbands, they’re all human beings trying to do a pretty tough job. I think people come away with insight into how big a job it really is.”
Register Now for Citizens’ Police Academy
The application deadline for the next Citizens’ Police Academy is Friday, February 23.
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ou will be placed on the wait list and notified as people drop out before the course begins on March 3.
Just fill out the Citizens’ Academy Application or contact 303-926-2800 for more information. Applications can also be dropped off in person at the police department or emailed to epdrecords@erieco.gov.
All civilian participants must complete an application and pass a criminal background check. Applicants will not be allowed to participate unless a release of liability and indemnification agreement has been signed and turned in prior to the start of the academy.
The academy is for adults ages 18 or older, although young people ages 16-17 may attend WITH a parent.
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