Citizens police academy plan is to educate public
By KRISTIN TAYLOR
Staff Writer
Police work isn't like "CSI" or "Law & Order." In real life, crime cases are not solved in one hour.
The Murray Police Department hopes to dispel stereotypes about officers and their work with its inaugural citizens police academy. The 10-week program will give people who live and work in Murray a chance to learn about the department's operations.
"They will learn more about the police department and the work we do and we will get input from them, the citizens, about our delivery of services," MPD Chief Ken Claud said. "Hopefully, it will be a two-way learning street."
During each of the 10 weeks, different officers will teach on a variety of topics, including thefts, sexual assault investigations, traffic enforcement, narcotics investigations, evidence preservation, arrest procedures, judicial processes, accident reconstruction and firearms. A tour of the Calloway County jail and a trip to the firing range will be included in the class time.
"Most people only know what they see on TV, and some of it's true and some of it's not," MPD Maj. Clayton Hendricks said. "On TV, cases are solved in an hour."
Hendricks will be the senior instruction for the firearms and weapons session. He will talk about officer-involved shootings, including MPD and state policies, and will address home security, especially when children are in homes with weapons. At the range, Hendricks will teach academy participants how to handle weapons.
"We'll try to hit a little bit on a lot," Hendricks said. "The main thing I will stress is safety."
Having different officers interacting with the community will help their at-work strategies as well as inform the public.
"The topics we picked re-emphasized their jobs," Hendricks said. "They have to research it in order to present it."
The mission of the citizens police academy is education - not recruitment.
Saying he wanted more interaction between the police department and the community, Claud established a Crime Prevention Bureau shortly after he was promoted to chief in July. This program is an extension of that bureau, which is headed by Sgt. Jim Osborne.
Other departments nationwide have hosted similar academies for citizens. In 1984, Orlando, Fla., was the first to have such a program. More recently, Paducah Police Department has had six classes with a total of 125 people participating, Claud said.
Osborne, Claud and other MPD officers have been planning the department inaugural program in hopes of having two academies each year, as long as the interest is there. The current class will be limited to about 20 participants.
Applications for the citizens police academy are available at the Murray Police Department at 407 Poplar St. Informational brochures also are available. A class of about 20 people will meet from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Mondays starting Jan. 31 at Murray High School. Anyone at least 21 years old who lives, works or owns property in Murray is eligible. Participants can not have a criminal record. For more information, call 753-1621.
Story created Jan 06, 2005 - 11:32:10 EST.
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