Graduation night of the 2023 UPD Citizens Police Academy included — Back row (l-r): Officer Tristin Williams, Officer Mike Cooper and Sergeant Todd Pratt; Third Row (l-r): Sergeant Logan Dunn, Matthew Cervantes, Richard Gove & Officer Noah Curl; Second Row (l-r): Lieutenant Josh Jacobs, Jared Evans, Dan Crews, Ben Manbevers & Officer Major Stratton; Front row (l-r): Chief Matt Lingrell, Amy Johnson, Heather Grim, Patsy Thackery, Pat Thackery & Sergeant Jason Kizer.
Submitted photo
Submitted story
For six consecutive Thursday evenings, from 6-9 p.m. beginning on Sept. 7 and ending on Oct. 12, 2023, the Urbana Police Division conducted its first ever Citizen Police Academy (CPA) hosting nine citizens who participated in the program. The academy had been a long-time dream for the agency and 2023 saw us implement our inaugural program, where, during the six weeks, CPA members learned about the day-to-day operations of their police division.
Sergeant Jason Kizer served as the commander of the Academy, helping to manage the weekly programs, presentations and practical exercises for CPA members to participate in. Many officers of the police division were weekly presenters, covering various topics, including:
Week #1 – Class members were provided with the 2023 CPA shirt and a CPA binder to keep the weekly presentations in. Week 1’s program and presenters covered: Class welcome and review of the CPA Curriculum; Organizational Structure; Professional Responsibility Investigations; Introduction to becoming a Police Officer; Recruitment, Selection & Training; Orientation tour of the police facility and our Property Room System.
Week #2 – We covered Patrol operations, Traffic Enforcement, Speed & OVI enforcement, Mock OVI Crash Investigation and the use of our two Speed Detection Trailers.
Week #3 – Our guest presenter was Champaign County Common Pleas Court Judge Nick Selvaggio who spoke to the CPA class on the role of the Courts in the Criminal Justice System. Officers presented to the CPA class on Criminal Laws & Procedures, our Criminal Investigations Unit and case preparation. We provided a demonstration and conducted practical exercises with the CPA members involving the use of our crime scene equipment that we use at crime scenes, including having them protect, identify, develop, photograph and collect various items of evidence.
Week #4 – We held our Range Week where the CPA visited our weapons range and had the opportunity to shoot all of our weapons and put on some of our tactical gear. The class then received a tour of the Countywide 911 Communications Center, hosted by Director Amy Collins and her staff who presented to the CPA class on the inner workings of the 911 Center and the various challenges they face daily. The night ended with multiple officers reviewing the many Outreach programs that the Urbana Police Division is involved with to us in serving our community.
Week #5 – We reviewed our Response to Resistance & Firearms Use Reporting Policy, practiced on the use of handcuffs, OC Spray and the ASP Tactical Baton, which officers carry on their duty belts. CPA members practiced on our DART Simulation Video System where they had to make split second decisions on various video scenarios that officers commonly handle. They ended the evening with participating in a tactical response to an Active Shooter scenario.
On our final night, we recognized the 2023 Citizens Police Academy class members with a graduation program. Chief Lingrell made opening remarks to those in attendance, thanking the CPA members for their committed participation in the program. Sergeant Jason Kizer was presented with a framed Certificate of Appreciation from Chief Lingrell for his role serving as the Academy Commander and helping to make this program a success. Each CPA class member was presented with a framed Certificate of Achievement by Chief Lingrell and Sergeant Kizer. Sergeant Todd Pratt made closing remarks and presented CPA class members with photos of their experiences throughout the Academy. The evening ended with a class photo, cake, refreshments and fellowship.
Citizen Police Academy members and Urbana police officers alike truly enjoyed our time spent together during these six weeks learning more about the police division and getting the feedback that we received from the class members regarding various issues facing policing.
CPA class member Dan Crews, in response to a CPA Survey about the inaugural Citizens Police Academy remarked, “I would not change a thing about the Citizens Police Academy. I enjoyed every session. The enthusiasm and participation of all the officers was incredible. The amount of preparation done by the entire Urbana Police Force to prepare for each class was obvious to me. It was interesting to hear the why and how each officer got involved in law enforcement. It was good to learn about the history, structure, mission and challenges of the Department.”
The Urbana Police Division is already looking forward to hosting our next Citizens Police Academy which will be held in the fall of 2024. If you are interested in participating in an upcoming academy, please look for registration requirements and the opportunity to register for the 2024 class on the city or Urbana website: www.urbanaohio.com .
Info from Urbana Police Division
