Newport Beach Police Department
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Students in the Citizens’ Police Academy will participate in informative classroom-style presentations as well as practical demonstrations with a variety of Police Department personnel. Activities include a police facility tour, a jail tour, a simulated car stop exercise, firearms instruction in the shooting range, fingerprinting, and a crime scene investigation challenge. Each student will also be given the opportunity to go on one four-hour ride-along with a police officer during the course of the Academy.
Instructors are drawn from all areas in the Department. Students meet the chief of police, managers, supervisors, patrol officers, detectives, dispatchers, and other department employees. We encourage students to ask questions and express their concerns about pertinent issues. A major goal of the Citizens' Police Academy is to increase understanding between our citizens and the Police Department, and to enhance the strong relationships we have with the community.
While the Academy will give students a better understanding of how the Police Department is organized, the services we provide, and how we serve the community, it is not based on a traditional police academy. The program is not designed to prepare students to be police officers or provide training in the field of law enforcement. A typical Citizens' Academy class is made up of 24 students of all age groups, and instructors will accommodate any physical limitations.
Successful graduation of the Citizens' Police Academy is a pre-requisite for our Volunteer Program.