For some citizens, the Great Recession may have made earning extra money more important than learning about law enforcement and the day-to-day reality that officers face on the job.

However, giving people a close look at crime fighting through free citizens’ police academies is an offer that the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement agencies are hoping economy-minded residents won’t refuse.

“It’s not the program, it’s the economy,” said Capt. Wanda Boga, coordinator with Deputy Roosevelt Moore, of the Sheriff’s Office Citizens’ Academy.

With a March 4 deadline for applications nearing, recruiting for the 11-week class that begins June 14 has been slow and attrition in recent classes held twice a year has been high, Boga said.

She said the sheriff’s academy, an 11-week course that meets Tuesday evenings and some Saturday mornings, has been competing with part-time jobs and overtime for people’s time.

Applicants must be at least 21, live or work in Shelby County and pass a background check.

Developed in England in 1977 and imported to the Orlando, Fla., Police Department in 1985 as an outgrowth of community policing, roughly half of law enforcement agencies in the United States now offer citizens’ police academies, according to researchers and the National Citizens Police Academy Association.

The Memphis Police Department’s Citizen Police Academy began in 1994. The 10-week course explores topics ranging from burglary and organized crime to domestic violence and crime scene investigations.

Even the FBI’s Memphis office offers an eight-week Citizens’ Academy, which is having no trouble finding participants, and has an alumni association.

“We’ve consistently had a backlog of people waiting to attend the class,” said V.O. Little, FBI supervising special agent in Memphis.

While research has been limited, a couple of surveys suggest that police academies boost awareness of law enforcement services and increase positive attitudes toward officers.

At Western Kentucky University, researchers pointed to a lack of public awareness of citizens’ academies as the major problem they face.

Boga said exciting opportunities at the citizens’ academy include firing a weapon, an in-depth jail tour, seeing canine, SWAT and bomb squads and riding along with an officer. She also noted another benefit.

“Taxpayers get to see where their money goes,” she said.

– Kevin McKenzie: 529-2348

Citizens’ academies

Shelby County Sheriff’s Office: Applications are available at the Sheriff’s Training Academy, 993 Dovecrest, or online at shelby-sheriff.org by clicking on the “resources” and then the “citizens academy” links. For more information, call 387-5750.

Memphis Police Department: Contact the Neighborhood Watch coordinator at one of the nine police precincts, found online at memphispolice.org by clicking on the “precincts” link.

FBI: Contact the community outreach specialist at the Memphis field office, 747-4300. A program with similar goals, Community Relations Executive Seminar Training, requires a less stringent background check.

There will be a graduation April 14 for the academy students and their families.

“This is a course we run for 18-and-older citizens of Coppell or people who work in Coppell,” Officer R.J. Harr said. “It gives them a chance to see what we [the police] do on a daily basis.”

The Coppell Citizen’s Police Academy was created to build a bond of mutual trust and respect between the police department and the community.

The goal of the program is to reduce perceived suspicions and misconceptions by establishing that mutual trust and cooperation between police and the residents of Coppell.

Each week, different areas of law enforcement are covered. This allows residents to acquire a working knowledge of the activities the Coppell police officers perform.

“Different classes are presented each night during the 11 weeks,” Harr said. “Each night we present blocks of instruction – from the K-9 group, how to do a building search, traffic stops, defensive tactics, handcuffing, baton training and more. We kind of show them what police work is all about.”

The structure of the police department is explained and the instructors reveal the mindset of the police.

“The hands-on parts of the program really help to teach people what police work is all about,” Harr said.

Experienced police officers provide the presentations and demonstrations and engage in discussions with the class about police operations. Class members are given guided tours of police headquarters, the jail and the communications department.

“When we get to building searches and we tell them, ‘Here is a house, you don’t know if anyone is in there, go in and search it,’ a lot of them will look at me and ask if we really do this kind of thing,” Harr said. “I tell them we do it every day.”

There is also an opportunity to take part in more hands-on training that is required of new police recruits.

“The highlight of the course is doing a ride-along with an officer,” he said. “We actually stick them in a ride-along with an officer on patrol.”

The ride-along program gives the students the feeling of what an officer has to do. It is a sort of “day in the life of a Coppell police officer,” Harr said.

At the beginning of the program, the police department was running two programs annually, but now there is only one a year.

“After 12 years we have had more than 100 students participate in the program,” Harr said. “This year we have 10 signed up, and we generally take 15, so there is still room for more students.”

The course has drawn city employees, businessmen, retirees, parents and others.

“This is another program we do that has had great response,” he said. “We even have an alumni organization for graduates called the Coppell Police Academy Coppell – or CPAC – which we pull volunteers from.”

To be eligible to participate, class members must be 18 years of age, have a good standing in the community and pass a background investigation. Applications can be downloaded from the city’s website at www.coppelltx.gov or picked up at the Coppell Police Department.

The CPA is an interactive program sponsored by the Rockwall Police Department.

Residents are invited to participate in an education program that will enhance their knowledge about the role of the police department and enable them to raise awareness about their community and crime prevention strategies.

Topics that will be covered include recruitment and hiring, criminal investigation division, crimes against persons, crime scene investigation (CSI), the criminal justice system, identity crimes, sex offenders and registration, firearms/less lethal, police communications, narcotics enforcement, domestic violence, DWI enforcement, fugitive warrants and apprehension, crime prevention programs, Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT), K9 operations, traffic enforcement and accident investigations.

The CPA also includes a day at the firing range, where participants will be given the opportunity to shoot a departmental weapon under the supervision of a firearms instructor and range master.

The CPA will also include a field trip to the Rockwall County Jail.

A fee of $20 covers notebooks and a box of ammunition for the range.

The CPA is open to all citizens who wish to participate.  Individuals must be at least 18 years old and have a good standing in the community with no previous felony convictions.

Classes will be held Feb. 8 through May 10 at the City of Rockwall Animal Services Building, 1825 Airport Road. Classes will meet on Tuesdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Applications are available at the Rockwall Police Department, 205 W. Rusk St, and the Rockwall Police Department Community Services Office, 1113 Ridge Road. Applications for the CPA can be returned to the Rockwall Police Department or Rockwall Police Department Community Services office and must be received by Feb. 1,  Questions regarding the CPA can be directed to Sgt. Jeff Welch at (972) 772-6704.

The academy program, which will run from Feb. 8 to early May, is designed to foster a better understanding between members of the community and the Charleston Police Department. Students will experience the various roles the police department plays within the community on a daily basis by being given an insider’s look at police work, said Lt. Valerie Strege of the department’s Community Services Division.

Students will experience practical hands-on training with police driving simulators, firearms instruction and an optional ride-along with a patrol officer.

Seasoned officers and guest speakers from different facets of law enforcement teach each classroom session.

Participants will meet every Tuesday from 6 to 9 p.m., at the CPD Training Center. They must be at least 18 years old and have no criminal history. There are no physical requirements and there is no cost to attend the program.

“Community involvement is the most powerful tool any law enforcement agency has at its disposal to fight crime,” Strege said. Through the Citizens Police Academy, “people can help make Charleston a safer place to live and work.”

For more information, contact the Community Service Division at 304-348-6411 or fill out an application at www.charlestonwvpolice.org.

The three new officers were all part-time reserve officers with the police department prior to their graduation for academy. According to Cullman Police Chief Kenny Culpepper, the addition of the new officers brings the total number of patrol officers within the department to 30, a good number for a city of Cullman’s size.

“It is hard to pinpoint what the ideal number of officers within the department would be,” said Culpepper. “Sometimes things are quiet and you seem to have too many and other times you need ten times the officers you have, it is a constant balancing act.”

Officers Matt Scholsser, Intae Suh, and Clint Sanford completed their 12-week training at the Northeast Alabama Law Enforcement Academy (LEA) on the satellite campus of Jacksonville State University located in Fort McClellan. The three officers have begun working full time with the city police department this weekend, according to Culpepper.

Schlosser said that his interest in law enforcement has been lifelong but he didn’t pursue it until completing a degree program for a much different field.

“I got a degree in accounting,” he said. “But I don’t think that is for me, I don’t want to sit in a cubicle and work.”

The 24 year old has been working as a reserve officer with the department since January of 2009 and is eager to get out and patrol on his own.

“I’m excited to start working and learning new things,” said Schlosser. “It’s a job where every day is a little different from the last and I like that.”

For Clint Sanford a career in law enforcement is nearly a family tradition.

“I have a lot of family members involved with law enforcement,” he said. “And growing up, I always thought that that’s what I wanted to do with my life.”

The 22 year old completed an associates degree in criminal justice prior to attending the academy and spent time as a reserve officer.

His colleague, 23-year-old Intae Suh, also completed a degree in the law enforcement field — a bachelor’s degree in criminology.

“I’ve always been interested in law enforcement,” said Suh. “I’m excited that I am in the position now to serve the community that I grew up in.”

According to Culpepper, law enforcement agencies in the are hiring more officers now than in the time immediately following the economic slowdown.

“Nationally, law enforcement agencies were forced to make a lot of cuts due to lacking funding over the past few years,” he said. “But as we see the economy come back I think a lot of cities like Cullman will fill many of those positions back.”

* Sam Rolley can be reached by e-mail at srolley@cullmantimes.com or by telephone at 734-2131 ext. 225.

They received a certificate from Chief of Police Dean Strzelecki. Present were Division Commander Dennis McEnerney and Academy Coordinator Sgt. Tom Davis as well as guests of the graduates and instructors and assistants. The Niles Police Color Guard presented colors prior to the ceremony.

The class met for three hours every Wednesday night for 10 weeks and were instructed by members of the Niles Police Department in the history of policing, Niles Police Department organizational structure, patrol procedures, community programs, vehicle stops, criminal law, evidence, use of force, gang awareness, traffic enforcement and criminal investigations.

They also got to fire a weapon on the police range and go on a ride along with a police officer on their choice of shift.

This was the 14th class of the Niles Citizens Police Academy. Requirements for attending the CPA are: Participants must be at least 21 years of age and must live, work or own a business in the village of Niles and pass a criminal background check.

The goal of the CPA is to develop a relationship between the Police Department and the citizens of Niles so that they can better understand its mission and how local law enforcement functions.

The allegations at the police training academy could have far reaching effect. Those cadets, who are now sworn officers, have likely made hundreds of arrests that could be thrown out or have convictions overturned.

“We’re going to have to get our arms around all of that. We’ll make decisions on a case by case basis on which we can go forward with and if necessary which ones we can’t,” said State’s Attorney Glenn Ivey.

Police launched an internal investigation and audit after allegations surfaced that an instructor provided cadets with answers on tests. The probe focuses on 34 officers who graduated in July 2009. All but two now work for Prince George’s County Police. The others are with the Maryland-National Capital Park Police. The union representing officers is reserving judgment.

“As it stands right now, these members are out there, they’re certified, they’re sworn policemen. Their arrests are lawful,” said Vince Canales, president of the Fraternal Order of Police for Prince George’s County officers.

The state’s attorney’s office set up its own task force to review cases. Once the officers are identified, that information by law must be turned over to defense attorneys. Ivey says he’s already notified the public defender’s office and is awaiting more information from the police internal investigation. Ivey admits “it’s possible” there may be hundreds of cases at risk but says “I just don’t know how many cases there are going to be involved in this at this point” until he gets more details.

The police union says an audit by state regulators at the time found no problem, but it only looked at random cadets.

“No one wants to see anyone here that shouldn’t be here and if there’s something found wrong, the department will take the action necessary,” said Canales.

The cheating scandal has the potential to end the career of these officers. Even if they are allowed to remain on the force, defense attorneys will always be able to raise the issue and question their credibility.

The police department could remove the officers from duty and force them to undergo retraining, but no decision has been made. The police department has remained silent on the investigation. Chief Roberto Hylton planned a 5 p.m. press conference, but canceled at the last minute. Instead, the department plans to release a statement later this evening.

On videotape that is. With guns that fired beams of light at a firearms training simulator.

The shoot/don’t shoot exercise was part of day-long police training that 22 deputy district attorneys underwent at the Colorado Springs Police Academy on what for many people was a Columbus Day court holiday.

The program – offered for the first time at the Academy – was aimed at giving prosecutors a sense of what a police officer’s life is like in those moments that later become the subject of courtroom hearings.

“It gave them a better understanding of what they (police) do and the stress they were under,” said Jim Bentley, a former Colorado Springs police officer turned prosecutor who helped stage the training.

The nine hours of training count toward 15 hours of police ride-alongs that deputy prosecutors must complete before they can graduate from handling misdemeanors in county court to trying felonies in district court. They also have to complete 15 county court trials and handle one case on appeal.

So for a day, prosecutors like Andy Vaughan, who joined the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s office in September 2009, traded their business suits and boxes of court files for tight-fitting vest protectors and simulated handguns.

“It’s bulky and uncomfortable,” Vaughan said of the holster, his right hand resting on the gun handle. “The vest isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It makes me feel safe.”

In addition to lectures, the prosecutors took turns on a firearms simulator that posed various situations where they had to decide in a split-second whether to use deadly force.

In one scenario, a driver they tried to pull over refuses to stop until he gets home. The unarmed but vocal driver is soon joined by a group of stick- and bat-wielding men who emerge from a garage.

Is it OK to shoot the driver who makes verbal threats as he advances with the other men?

“You’re the DA. Is that a good shoot?” asked police trainer Mike Singels.

Probably not if the driver is the last man standing, Singels said. But then he demonstrated how easy it would be for the driver to grab control of the gun and turn it on the prosecutor.

After prosecutor Bryan Gogarty finished his turn, he joked, “Can we install this in our house?”

Gogarty said the exercise was useful.

“No matter how many cases you deal with it’s never quite the same as when you’re actually in a similar position, when you can experience what the officer experiences.”

Last month, 63 new State Troopers, including two women, graduated from the Kentucky State Police Academy in Frankfort.

That means 27 cadets dropped out of the class during the intensive 23-week training program.

Now, KSP is recruiting a new cadet class, with testing starting Monday at Eastern Kentucky University. But to be tested, your application must be on file at KSP headquarters by tomorrow.

Applicants must be 21, a U.S. citizen, have a good driving record, and have either some college experience, or a high school diploma and military or police experience.