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Citizen Police
Academy Builds
Understanding
Interaction between citizens,
officers, creates safer
communities
By Dr. Tom Miller, Staff Writer
Relations
between citizens
and their local law
enforcement
agencies have been a very hot topic
across our country in recent months.
Several cities have created an opportunity for citizens to better know
and understand their police departments. Whether you live in Houston,
Boston, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Miami
or Lexington, Ky., people interested
in learning more about law enforcement and criminal justice can enroll
in Citizen Police Academies (CPAs).
CPAs help create safer communities. They offer citizens insights
into how police officers perform
their duties and how the department serves the community. The
Lexington-Fayette Urban County
Division of Police believes education
has been most effective in gaining
understanding and support from
the community. The LFUCG CPA
is fully supported by the new Police
Chief Mark Barnard. It is managed
by Officer Debbie Wagner. She has
coordinated the Lexington CPA
since 1997. Wagner initiated the
first Master Citizen Police Academy
in 2001. She also started a special
Spanish CPA program and has helped
cities across the country start CPAs.
She has conducted classes for the
National CPA Conference and has
also served on its National Board. She
was selected as the National Citizen
Police Academy Coordinator of the
Year in both 1999 and 2007. She
recently received the International
Community Service Award from the
International Association of Women
Police.
“The Lexington Citizen Police
Academy has been one of the
most effective and long-lasting
community policing programs in the
country,” Wagner said. “Our citizens
who volunteer their time and skills
should take pride in knowing they are
playing a vital role in an organization
that dedicates itself to enhancing the
quality of life, health and safety in our
community.”
Three academies are offered each
year. Instruction consists of a
three-hour class that meets for
12 weeks. A different area
of the Division of Police is
covered each week. Police
officers, supervisors and
civilian instructors with
particular expertise conduct classes on SWAT
team training, traffic stops,
building searches, crime
scene investigations,
use of force, drug and
narcotics, forensic psychology, use of patrol
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37
dogs and mounted police, driving
training, firearm and target-range
safety and internal affairs. The CPA
has graduated more than 50 classes
of local citizens, and more than 30 of
those graduates have become police