NCJ Number
168242
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 24 Issue: 10 Dated: (October 1997) Pages: 56,58,60
Date Published
1997
Length
3 pages
Annotation
The mission of police agencies is more easily accomplished when there is positive communication with the public, and the Citizen's Police Academy (CAP) in Homewood, Alabama, has improved police-community relations.
Abstract
The CAP in Homewood has a 36-hour program, one 3-hour session one night a week for 12 weeks. Local district attorneys are used to cover constitutional law and criminal justice topics, and police officers from patrol, administrative, and detective divisions cover other relevant topics. Citizens are given a tour of the jail and the police communications room. Role playing exercises are included in the program in which citizens assume police roles. Additional classes include a crime-in-progress session and a police vehicle and fleet maintenance session. The CAP has produced volunteers to handle filing and clerical duties and has provided other forms of support for the Homewood Police Department. For other police agencies desiring to establish a CAP, consideration must be paid to citizen work schedules and availability, classroom size, and program length. 2 photographs