This year, the Citizens Police Academy is being conducted in the Green Impact Zone so it is more accessible to residents of Midtown and the surrounding areas. Photo courtesy of Kansas City Police Department.
The Kansas City Police Department has offered its Citizens Police Academy for many years, but never before in Midtown. The course allows citizens to “ride along” with the police on regular patrols, learn about the crime lab, and have frank discussions with officers. Police officers and citizens who have attended the course credit it with building trust between officers and the public. But for some Midtown residents, getting to the academy on a weeknight was a challenge.
According to KCPD Training Officer Angela McCune, the department had been holding the training academy at its Regional Training Center in the Northland. But last year, Green Impact Zone ombudsman Anwar Jones went through the training program.
“We work on public safety, and we thought it was important for citizens,” Jones said. “The problem was, it was up north and it was hard for people to get up there.”
Jones asked McCune to consider holding the training in Midtown, where it would be more convenient for many people to attend. The police department agreed it was a good idea, so the academy class that began September 8 is being held at the Green Impact Zone offices at 4600 Paseo Boulevard.
Unfortunately, the class is full for this year, and another one is not scheduled until next fall. We plan to check in at the end of the class so participants can share with us the insights they got from the academy.
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