Shreveport Police Dept.

Date: Jan 28, 2009

Phone: (318) 525-5066 Fax: (318) 673-6933

Contact: Cpl Bill Goodin, Public Information Officer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Auxiliary and Citizen’s Police Academies to begin

The Shreveport Police Department is currently taking applications for the Citizen’s Police Academy as well as the Auxiliary Academy which will be held this year.

The Citizen’s Police Academy is an action packed and informative course where participants are given an inside view of the Shreveport Police Department. A wide range of topics will be discussed: patrol procedures, special response teams, narcotics and gang investigations, crime scene investigations, internal affairs procedures, use of force procedures, and many other law enforcement topics.

“Trainees” will be involved in many hands on practical exercises involving traffic stops, building searches, and the proper use of firearms. Classes will meet on Tuesday evenings from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. The first Citizen’s Police Academy this year will be held from March 3rd to May 5th and the second will run from Aug 4th to Oct 6th.

Participants are also encouraged to ride along with a Shreveport police officer and observe first hand a day in the life of a patrol officer. The classes will be held at the Shreveport Fire and Police Regional Training Academy at 6440 Greenwood Road. Applications for the classes can be obtained from the Shreveport Police Department's Community Oriented Policing Bureau, located in the Shreveport Police Complex at 1234 Texas Ave., or by contacting Sgt. Keith Grant at 673-6950.

In addition to the Citizen’s Police Academy, a new Auxiliary Academy will begin this year as well and run from May 12th to June 11th. Citizens who are selected to become auxiliary officers this will attend classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. These classes will also be held at the training academy.

Auxiliary officers are volunteers who wear light blue uniforms and supplement the efforts of our patrol officers whenever needed. They assist the department and the citizens we serve by directing traffic, working with police officers at special events like Mardi Gras parades or the Independence Bowl, and patrolling the neighborhoods in our communities.

If you are looking for a unique way to give something back to your community and have some fun at the same time, please consider volunteering as an auxiliary officer.

The media is welcome to cover these classes.

View all SPD press releases at www.shreveportla.gov