|
|
Citizen's Police Academy |
The Stephenville Police Department Citizen Police Academy is a 30 hour block of instruction designed to give the public a working knowledge of the Stephenville Police Department's personnel and policies. It consists of a series of 10 classes, held once a week for three hours. The instruction is comprehensive, covering a different area of the police department each week. Officers, supervisors and personnel assigned to that particular division conduct each instructional block.
The class is made up of a cross section of the Stephenville community. Business professionals, homemakers, laborers, students, secretaries, salespersons, and others are encouraged to apply for admission. The academy is held once each year. The minimum age for enrollment is 21 and you must live or work in the City of Stephenville to be eligible to attend.
The Stephenville CPA was created in order to provide enough information to the citizens that attend so that they may make informed judgments about the Police Department and police activity. It is further hoped that the instruction will increase police awareness whereas to dispel suspicions and misconceptions and to increase police community rapport through this educative process. The department, in turn, becomes more aware of the feelings and concerns of the community from the participants' interaction and input. It is , indeed, a two-way learning experience.
The Stephenville Citizen Police Academy covers such diverse topics as training, communications, criminal investigations, DWI procedures, crime prevention, family violence, juvenile law and the special response team. Emphasis is placed on the patrol division as that is the segment of the police department the public most often comes into demonstrations, tours and hands-on experiences.
The relationship between law enforcement and the community it serves at times seems strained. This is frequently due to the way each of these entities view problems and perceive solutions to these problems. The Citizen Police Academy was designed to encourage interaction between citizens and employees of law enforcement to form an alliance by understanding each other's views. Citizens learn from officers and officers learn from citizens, both striving for "Excellence through cooperative understanding."
We, the members of the Stephenville Police Department, are committed to being responsive to our community in the delivery of quality service. Recognizing our responsibility to maintain order, while affording dignity and respect to every individual, our objective is to improve the quality of life through a community partnership which promotes safe, secure neighborhoods. The values of the Stephenville Police Department evolve around People, Leadership, Service and Performance.
For more information and an application contact |
Sergeant Russell Ford |
At 254-918-1281 or email him at spd@stephenvillepolice.org . |
©1999, 2003-2007 Sha King