WHAT IS THE CITIZEN POLICE ACADEMY?

The role of Police has always been an interest to the average Citizen. The television media has capitalized upon this curiosity with shows such as “Cops”, “America’s Most Wanted”, and “Stories of the Highway Patrol”. Each week, real police action is broadcast into the living rooms of millions of Americans. Numerous Police Agencies have also benefited from the curiosity that citizens have about the police. These agencies have formed Citizen Police Academy programs that create an expansion of their community based efforts. These programs are intended to open the lines of communication between the Community and the Police Department. Generally, the relationship between the police and the citizen is one of “love/hate”. To the Citizen, it may frequently appear that the police are not doing their job or are exceeding their boundaries. By allowing citizens a firsthand look at what rules, regulations and policies the police follow, some of the misunderstanding may be alleviated. The objective of the Citizen Police Academy is not to train an individual to be a “Reserve Police Officer” but to produce informed citizens. The Citizens and Police Officers meet each other face to face in a neutral, friendly setting and each becomes a person to the other. In the past, citizens have simply seen a uniform, now they have an understanding about the person behind the badge. The Texas City Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association meets monthly and invites all Academy participants to join in and be a part of learning about and supporting Texas City’s exceptional police department. You will be on the inside track learning from law enforcement specialists; assist the department at city wide functions, from parades to town hall meetings as well as department specific functions like Christmas with the Blue that provides Christmas for hundreds of underprivileged children, our annual Blue Streak competition where each department competes in a derby at Bay Area Raceway for a trophy and bragging rights, or perhaps play the part of a hostage in a Hostage Crisis Exercise. What a great way to support our local P.D., support your community all while you gain unique and valuable insight into what these brave individuals face every day as they Protect & Serve our community. The Next CPA Academy will begin on Monday, January 21st at the TCPD. If you would like to join the TCCPAAA, please register by calling 409-996-8477