The Rockford Police Department hosts its eighth Citizens Police Academy beginning September 19. The 8 week class will be held Wednesday afternoons at the city's Public Safety Building.
The course will cover such topics as community policing, recognizing drug and gang activity, crime prevention through environmental design, crime analysis, seasonal crimes/scams/ID theft, organizing and sustaining a watch group, “Shoot, Don’t Shoot” scenarios and more.
The Department says attendees will graduate from the academy with a better understanding of how police officers perform their duties and how the department serves the community. They will also learn how they can partner with the Rockford Police Department to reduce crime, increase the solve rate and improve the quality of life in Rockford.
Police departments in a number of cities, including Belvidere and Aurora, hold similar academies. In each, the mission is to build cooperative relationships between citizens and the police through training and education. The academies aim to produce a network of informed citizens who can return to their neighborhoods to organize, encourage and mobilize others, and work as partners with police in reducing crime in the community.
The Rockford Citizens Police Academy runs Wednesdays from 2 to 4 PM, September 19 through November 7. The Department encourages any citizen who resides or works in Rockford to attend. Applicants must be 18 years of age or older.
Applications for the Rockford Citizen Police Academy can be obtained at the Rockford Police Department front desk. Applications are also available on the city of Rockford website http://www.rockfordil.gov/police.aspx .
