The development of the Citizen Police Academy (CPA) has resulted in a new mechanism for improving police-community relations and enhancing public ...
Journal of Criminal Justice, Vol. 24, No. 3, pp. 265-271, 1996 Copyright © 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd Printed in the USA. All rights reserved 0047-2352/96 $15.00 + .00
Pergamon
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THE CITIZEN POLICE ACADEMY: A RECIPE FOR IMPROVING POLICE-COMMUNITY RELATIONS
ELLEN G . COHN
School of Policy and Management Florida International University North Miami Campus North Miami, Florida 33181
ABSTRACT The development of the Citizen Police Academy (CPA) has resulted in a new mechanism for improving police-community relations and enhancing public cooperation. The main purposes of the program are outlined, the basic organization of various CPAs around the country are discussed, and the effectiveness of the CPA concept is considered. There are many advantages both for the police department and the community in setting up a CPA, but there are several disadvantages which are addressed. The organization of the MetroDade, Florida CPA is described in detail.
INTRODUCTION The concept of community policing is a partnership between the police and the community they serve. To be effective, community policing relies heavily on public cooperation. The level of cooperation can be significantly enhanced by educating the public about the police and the criminal justice system in general. Citizens who are aware of and understand police purposes and procedures frequently appear to be more willing to cooperate with and assist the police. Recently, a number of police departments have developed Citizen Police Academies (CPAs) to provide a mechanism for community educa-
tion, through which understanding between citizens and police may be improved. Citizens are taught about police operations, policies and procedures, and police-citizen communication is facilitated. Such academies are becoming "increasingly recognized as one of the most important tactics of the public education component of community policing" (Peverly and Phillips, 1993:88). CPAs do not produce civilian police or reserve officers. Instead, the purpose of a CPA is to "increase better understanding between citizens and police through education" (Ferguson, 1985). CPA participants learn about police department operations, become more supportive
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of police work, and develop an increased awareness and appreciation of the job of the police, not only understanding what the police do but why they do what they do. The academy course creates a group of community residents who are well-informed and knowledgeable about police procedures and who are in a position to influence public opinion toward the police. In addition, the police department, through interaction with the academy participants, develops a better understanding of citizens' concerns and their perceptions of the police. The CPA participants may provide an important problem-solving resource for the police. The CPA is not designed as a "soapbox" on which the department may politic, ask for more funding, or make a pitch for more police officers (Seelmeyer, 1987:28). Much goodwill may be generated, however, by the CPA; as members of the academy classes develop a deeper understanding of the police, they may take this knowledge into the community and persuade others of the importance of police-citizen cooperation. The academy serves as a forum through which the departmental administration can reach members of the community; these citizens may then influence others in the community concerning community-police issues. In general, CPAs provide the department with an opportunity to educate the public, establish an ongoing positive relationship with citizen groups, and give community members an appreciation for the challenges and difficulties faced by today's law enforcement officers. According to Hilson (1994:1), "The ultimate goal of the Citizen Police Academy is the reduction of crime through a stronger citizen commitment to the police department and the community."
HISTORY The first CPA was developed in England by the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary in Middlemoor, Exeter. Their Police Night School, as it was called, was established in 1977. The course, which met one night a week for ten weeks, was run by volunteer police personnel and was extremely popular, prompting other
British police departments to organize similar programs. The first CPA in the United States was organized by the Orlando, Florida police department in 1985. Modeled after the British program, it consisted of a ten-week course, an optional unit on firearm safety and use, and the opportunity to participate in ride-alongs with members of the department. Other departments in the United States, encouraged by the success of the Orlando CPA, have begun to develop their own programs. The Missouri City, Texas police department launched a CPA in 1986. They expanded the course to eleven weeks and included firearms practice and firearms safety training as a regular part of the course curriculum, The CPA in Commerce City, Colorado also included a segment on police driving. The Metro-Dade, Florida CPA runs a total of thirteen weeks, including a formal graduation ceremony at the end of the course. In an attempt to maintain interest after the course was over, the Missouri City department developed follow-up activities, including a quarterly newsletter which was sent to all academy graduates. CPA participants also were invited to police public relations activities and other events. The Metro-Dade department has set up a CPA Alumni Association to allow CPA participants access to further training and information.
ORGANIZATION AND CURRICULUM Each police department that runs a CPA organizes it somewhat differently and each has a different curriculum. Although Enns (1995) found some academies that ran a mere two days, in most cases the length of time devoted to the CPA ranges from about ten weeks (e.g., Orlando) to thirteen weeks (e.g., Dade County, Florida). Classes generally meet weekly, for two or more hours, although some CPAs, such as the one in Commerce City, Colorado, also include several weekend sessions. Some CPAs also require the participants to perform certain activities, usually ride-alongs, outside of class time. Some programs merely provide the participants with the option of doing a ride-along, while in others, such as the CPA in Dade County, Flor-
The Citizen PoliceAcademy ida, a ride-along is mandatory and participants must also write a short paper about their experience. The CPA curriculum clearly varies by department, but there appear to be some overall constants. Common topics include an overview of departmental organization, police selection and training, patrol procedures, law, vice and narcotics, domestic violence, police use of force, field operations, traffic stops, police stress, and crime prevention. Most departments end the course with a graduation ceremony, frequently similar to that held for cadets graduating from the police academy. For example, the ceremony conducted at the Metro-Dade CPA is modeled after the Metro-Dade Police Academy graduation. Top members of the administration participate in the ceremony, and family and friends of the CPA class are encouraged to attend. Some departments conduct the majority of the CPA in the classroom, with lectures and discussions, while others are much more "handson," allowing class members to experience police procedures. A number of CPAs have begun to include some form of firearms training in the course curriculum. Commerce City takes participants out to the firing range, gives basic training in firearm safety and use, and allows them to shoot the department's standard issue firearm. The Dade County CPA introduces students to the FATS machine, or Firearms Training Simulator, and puts them through a variety of shoot-don't shoot scenarios. One of the most participatory programs may be the CPA in Farmington, Connecticut. The program not only includes an optional ride-along, but also driving exercises such as mock vehicle stops, domestic violence role plays, baton training, shoot-don't shoot exercises, a fingerprint segment in which participants take fingerprints and learn to lift latent prints, and an optional tour of dispatching. The CPA instructors generally are police ofricers. Most departments have a CPA coordinator who introduces each week's program, and a series of guest speakers or instructors on special topics. For example, the Metro-Dade CPA is organized by two coordinators who work out of the Community Affairs Bureau. Members of other units come each week to discuss specific
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issues. The discussion of rirearms training, safety, and use was led by the department's chief firearms instructor, the domestic violence unit was organized by the head of the Domestic Violence Task Force, and the homicide segment was run by the head of the Cold Crimes Unit. Some CPAs also include speakers from other segments of the criminal justice system, such as attorneys, judges, juvenile caseworkers, and social workers. Hilson's (1994:3) survey of CPAs in Texas found that "the Citizen Police Academy does not appear to be a large consumer of police personnel or resources." Many of the officers participating in the programs are reimbursed through compensatory time or overtime. Enns (1995) found that CPAs vary greatly in cost, with budgets ranging from $200 to $7,000 depending on the length and organization of the academy program. Some CPAs in Texas do not spend any departmental funds whatsoever; these programs charge participants a tuition fee. The costs involved in running a CPA not only include personnel, but also expenses such as advertising, photocopying, refreshments (some CPAs such as the one in Dade County provide participants with a light dinner), and handouts (e.g., T-shirts, polo shirts, notebooks, bumper stickers, graduation certificates).
METRO-DADE CITIZENS POLICE ACADEMY--A CASE EXAMPLE The Metro-Dade CPA began in 1993, "in order to offer civilians with civic interests an exposure to the 'police experience'" (Metro-Dade Police Department, 1995). The department holds three classes each year; each class contains approximately twenty-five students. As of May 1995, a total of 168 people have completed the Metro-Dade CPA course in a total of six classes, t The ages of the participants range from eighteen (the minimum age allowed) to sixty-eight, with a mean age of thirty-eight. The professions of the students vary greatly; the sixth class included a college student, a postal worker, a cruise salesman, several teachers, and two retired college professors, among others. The classes are multiracial, with Caucasians, African Ameri-
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cans, and Hispanics all participating. Although class six was predominately Caucasian (there were several Hispanics and one African American), class seven will be almost 90 percent Hispanic. The department has a variety of methods of recruiting citizens to the CPA. For the first class, the coordinators made presentations at the meetings of the Citizens Advisory Committees (CAC) of each district. A number of CAC members attended the academy, and it proved so popular that some of the CACs have amended their regulations to require that all members go through the course. Presentations also were made to local crime watch groups. During the first CPA class, parts of the training were videotaped and a short eight-minute video was prepared. This program has been aired on the county cable station and has resulted in a large number of applications. In addition, some of the local television news stations show up to cover each CPA graduation and this is aired on the local evening news, resuiting in more requests for information and applications. Another way that information on the CPA is disseminated to the public is through presentations at civic events. For example, at the Dade County Youth Fair, the MDPD has an exhibition table with information on the various community policing and crime prevention programs with which they are involved. The CPA video is shown and CPA graduates are invited to help staff the table and talk to fair attendees about the course. Graduates also are given bumper stickers which state, "I survived the Citizens Police Academy." The co-coordinator's office telephone number is printed on the bumper sticker, so people observing the bumper sticker may call for information. The co-coordinator has commented that, since they began giving out these bumper stickers in the graduation packets, "my voice mail is always full" (Officer David Tipp, telephone interview, 12 May 1995). The department's requirements for participation in the CPA are fairly standard, and similar to those of many other CPA programs. All applicants must pass a standard National Crime Information Center (NCIC) criminal history check. Applicants with a prior criminal record
are weighed on a case-by-case basis. The number of prior arrests and the charge(s) are considered, along with how long ago the arrest occurred and the applicant's reasons for wanting to go through the program. There are no automatic criteria for rejection. The minimum age limit for participation in the CPA is eighteen; there is no upper limit. The department does not have a mandatory residency requirement; however, it prefers that applicants have some connection with Dade County (they generally either live or work in the county). As the co-coordinator of the program stated, "If an applicant lives in Palm Beach and works in Palm Beach, we would wonder why they wanted to go through our program anyway" (Officer David Tipp, telephone interview, 12 May 1995). Tipps also stated, however, that if the hypothetical Palm Beach applicant really wanted to go through the Metro-Dade CPA, he or she probably would be accepted. In general, the department prefers to give first priority to those applicants who have some connection with the county. The democratic nature of these requirements generally results in extremely diverse and heterogeneous groups of students, 2 The thirteen-week course is held one night per week from 6:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Each student is required to go on at least one eight-hour riding assignment during the course and to write an essay about his or her experiences. Class topics include such things as criminal law, firearms, use of force, and domestic and patrol procedures. See Table 1 for a complete listing of the class schedule. The department spends approximately $4,000 per class. Guest instructors up to the rank of sergeant are offered overtime pay as reimbursement for their time. The department does not allow police officers above the rank of sergeant to receive overtime; they are asked to volunteer their time. It also is extremely difficult to get authorization to pay instructors who are not members of the MetroDade Police Department; however, instructors who volunteer their time may deduct it on their personal income tax as a charitable donation. EFFECTIVENESS OF THE CPA Many of the CPAs survey participants prior to the start of the course and again at the end.
The Citizen Police Academy
TABLE 1 METRO-DADECITIZENSPOLICEACADEMY CLASSSCHEDULE
Week
Topic
1
Personal introductions Program overview Departmental overview
2
Criminal law
3
Firearms orientation Firearms safety FATS machine
4
Use of force
5
Patrol procedures I
6
Patrol procedures II Vehicle pullover simulation
7
Homicide
8
Stress awareness
9
Domestic violence
10
Disturbance calls
11
Crime prevention Personal safety
Household security 12
The future of policing
13
Graduation ceremony
For example, the East Syracuse, New York Police Department conducted an evaluation of their CPAto determine whether participants' attitudes toward the police had changed. They found that: Four common themes emerged: (1) an increased understanding of and appreciation for the intelligence, versatility and professionalism of the "average" police officer; (2) an increased appreciation and support for continued training and formal education for police officers; (3) a decided willingness to be less influenced by the prejudices of others in conversations related to the police; and (4) an increased sense of individual responsibility to work with the police in matters related to order maintenance and crime prevention. (Peverly and Phillips, 1993:89) Other departments report similar positive results from the CPA. Hilson (1994), in her survey of Texas CPAs, stated that participants' gains from the CPA include increased awareness and
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understanding of police responsibilities and the difficulties of the profession, a better understanding of how the department works and what citizens can contribute, and the development of a personal commitment to the department and the community. Basically, "although some citizens entered the CPA being a little skeptical, almost every citizen who completes the academy leaves with a pro-police attitude" (Hilson, 1994:5). Citizens who took part in the Fannington, Connecticut program stated that they believed "the department had built invaluable bridges between itself and the community" (Enns, 1995:135). Participants in the Commerce City CPA "said repeatedly that they learned much about police operations and the problems officers face" (Seelmeyer, 1987:26). The Commerce City Police Department developed a better understanding of citizens' problems and concerns, and how the department is perceived. The Farmington, Connecticut program found that the effectiveness of the CPA was significantly influenced by the enthusiasm of the officers participating in and organizing the program. Officers who are not favorably disposed toward a CPA and who are forced to participate may display animosity toward the program and the participants. This may significantly undermine the integrity of the program and result in a negative perception of the department by the participants. On the other hand, the Orlando CPA found that the positive learning atmosphere and class cohesiveness was "facilitated, in part, by the total commitment to the program by the OPD" (Ferguson, 1985:6). Greenberg (1991:11), in his discussion of CPAs, states that "the public's involvement in a citizen police academy expands communitybased crime prevention efforts." He has outlined several advantages to police departments in developing CPAs. For example, citizens who have participated in a CPA program are "better prepared to cope with criminal incidents, are more willing to report crime, and realize the need to testify when they observe a crime" (Greenberg, 1991:11). Their greater understanding of the realities of police work, as opposed to media distortions, may help to reduce complaints about police work. In addition, CPA graduates
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become more involved in crime prevention activities and even develop new ways of preventing crime and educating other members of their community. The interaction between the police department and citizenry may also "augment police job satisfaction and provide a measure of accountability to the community" (Greenberg, 1991:11). Greenberg also suggests that police departments may use the CPA as a recruiting mechanism, and that the use of guest speakers from other parts of the criminal justice system may result in improved relationships with these agencies. Greenberg (1991) also has pointed out several important disadvantages of CPA programs. First, he warns that it is possible for some instructors to turn the CPA into a public relations forum and "curtail the delivery of more useful information about the realities of policing and the ability of the criminal justice system to contend with crime" (Greenberg, 1991:12). It is very important that the CPA coordinators work with every instructor to ensure that the proper material is being covered in each session. For example, the Metro-Dade CPA coordinators regularly ask each guest speaker to "let it all hang out" and "tell it like it is" (Officer David Tipp, telephone interview, 9 May 1995). They also attend every session and observe the guest instructors as they lead the class. At the same time, some instructors may go too far to the other extreme and spend all their time telling "war stories," rather than providing CPA participants with concrete information that they can take away and use. This is not to say that a class discussion should not be illustrated with descriptions of actual cases. Indeed, many participants probably find these stories the most enjoyable part of the course. Care must be taken, however, to ensure that entire class sessions are not consumed by these anecdotes. Greenberg (1991) also is concerned with the possible costs of running a CPA. In addition to the obvious financial costs, which might be mitigated by applying for grants or awards such as the Webber-Seavey Award (Anonymous, 1993), the planning and development of the CPA may result in the diversion of resources away from other departmental functions. Many guest instructors are reimbursed, either through corn-
pensatory time (which reduces their presence at their regular posts) or through overtime pay (which affects the department financially). Some CPAs require a large number of instructor hours. For example, Greenberg (1991) mentions the firearms training provided to participants in the Commerce City CPA where each student attends a three-hour orientation class on firearm safety and use and then has an individual instructor on the firing range. The increase in requests for home security surveys, business surveys, guest speakers, and so forth also could seriously overburden the community policing division (although, as Greenberg points out, this increase is not in itself a disadvantage). One of the biggest problems with most CPAs may be that they are, by necessity, very small. For the program to be effective, the class size must be small enough to encourage discussion and promote a class cohesiveness. Unfortunately, this also means that access to the program is limited. The Metro-Dade Police Department offers three CPA classes each year, with approximately twenty-five students per class. By the time the first class of the year was nearing completion, the second class was already fully subscribed and the third nearly so. Thus, in a county with a population of approximately two million, only about seventy-five people may participate in the CPA program each year. Greenberg (1991:12) has suggested that urban departments "train and certify classes of citizen volunteer instructors who would then be qualified to offer a series o f continuous free courses to the public." While this could increase community access to the program, one of the most important strengths of the CPA is that it is taught by police officers who show participants what police work is really like. Through this association, positive police-citizen relationships are formed. If citizen volunteers were to teach the courses, this valuable police-citizen interaction would be lost. One possible alternative might be to use reserve officers as CPA instructors. These individuals are trained police officers, but they work on a voluntary basis rather than as paid employees of a police department. Encouraging reserve officers to participate in CPA programs as instructors would
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significantly increase the instructor pool, allowing more classes to be taught and more citizens access to the program, without losing the policecitizen relationship that is so vital to the concept of the CPA. Full-time officers could act as guest lecturers in courses taught predominantly by reserve officers. Finally, if follow-up activities are not planned, citizen interest may wane and the positive benefits of the CPA may turn out to be as fleeting as the wind. As mentioned above, a number of departments are attempting to maintain citizen interest and involvement after the completion of the CPA course. Probably one of the most innovative is the Metro-Dade CPA Alumni Association. Members attend monthly meetings, participate in police training exercises (recently, they were the "mob" for a riot drill and pelted the officers with tennis balls), attend police functions (such as a recent memorial service for officers killed in the line of duty), and receive information on volunteer opportunities in various areas of the police department. They also assist with the CPA program, such as helping out at graduation ceremonies, and with presentations at civic events. In addition, "if another disaster like [Hurricane] Andrew strikes, graduates could help direct traffic" (Henderson, 1994). Other CPAs also have formed alumni associations, which participate in fund-raisers for crime prevention programs, encourage members to volunteer at the police department, and organize social events for alumni and police.
CONCLUSION It is clear that policing today requires active citizen participation and involvement. The development of the CPA program is one way to encourage this cooperation. Most of the departments that have organized CPAs seem to be pleased with the results, and it seems that both the police officers and the citizens benefit from the close interaction. The Metro-Dade Police Department (1995), in their latest evaluation of the CPA, has stated that "the CPA has been extremely successful in educating citizens and, in most cases, transforms negative attitudes into ones of appreciation and understanding.
The CPA is a positive program that actually meets its objective." Hilson (1994) found that all the agencies that responded to her survey strongly recommended CPAs be organized by other departments. Citizens who have participated in CPAs are overwhelmingly positive; some who start out as anti-police change their attitude as they learn more about the department, its methods, and the purposes behind these methods. Many of the problems with the program can be overcome by advance planning and careful supervision. Overall, it appears that the rewards of a CPA far outweigh the potential disadvantages. Although not every department will want to organize a CPA, the program does appear to help improve relationships between police and the citizens they serve.
NOTES 1. Class six was graduated in May 1995. The author participated in this class to collect information and to experience the program personally. 2. Many CPA programs currently use similar democratic selection criteria. The first class of a new CPA program frequently uses what has been termed a "blue-ribbon" approach: Participants are carefully selected in such a way as to enhance the program and encourage its continued existence. This may be necessary at a program's inception, however, the more democratic approach is better in the long ran. There is little benefit to be gained from "preaching to the converted." REFERENCES Anonymous. (1993). Seavey Award to create new law enforcement/public understanding. Police Chief 60: 13-14. Enns, T. (1995). Citizens' police academies: The Fannington experience. Police Chief62:133-35. Ferguson, R. E. (1985). The citizen police academy. FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin 54:5-7. Greenberg, M. A. ( 1991 ). Citizen police academies. FBl Law Enforcement Bulletin 60:1O- 13. Henderson, C. (1994). Behind the scenes of crime. Miami Herald, 3 February, Neighbors Section 27. Hilson, J. (1994). Citizen police academies. Texas Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics Program (TELEMASP) Bulletin, l May. Metro-Dade Police Department. (1995). Annual evaluation of community policing, crime prevention and juvenile programs. Miami, FL: Metro-Dade Police Department. Peverly, W. J., and Phillips, E W. (1993). Community policing through citizen police academies. Police Chief 60:88-89. Seelmeyer, J. (1987). A citizen's police academy. Law and Order 35:26-29.
