116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Johnson County Citizens Police Academy turns 20

Dec. 16, 2016 11:00 am, Updated: Dec. 16, 2016 12:24 pm
IOWA CITY - For close to two decades the Johnson County Citizens Police Academy has been striving to build relationships between the communities there and its police departments.
In a time of heightened tensions between citizens and law enforcement - both locally and nationally - that mission continues to be of utmost importance.
'I think we need to build that bridge and we need to make it stronger,” said Ashten Hayes, Iowa City Police crime prevention officer and one of the academy organizers. 'This is a very good way to do that.”
The 20th session of the Citizens Police Academy will kick off on Jan. 30, and applications are available through the agencies the host the class - the Iowa City, Coralville, North Liberty and University of Iowa police departments and the Johnson County Sheriff's Office. Applications are due Jan. 27.
The 14-week academy covers a wide variety of topics, from collision investigation and drunken driving enforcement to defensive tactics, SWAT teams, bomb squads and K9s. The academy puts on a mock trial and takes a tour of the Johnson County Jail. Hayes said the academy shows participants the 'ins and outs” of each department and shows them things they wouldn't necessarily see on a daily basis.
'It just gives them a better understanding of what we do,” she said.
Hayes said some participants are there to better educate themselves about law enforcement and others are interested in a career in police work. All of them come away with a better understanding of how police operate, Hayes said.
'This is a good way to see what (law enforcement) is all about and then you can form your own opinions,” she said.
The academy also includes a ride-along component in which class participants will ride all or part of a shift with an officer or deputy. Hayes said that ride-along time reinforces the topics covered in the academy and gives participants a firsthand look police work.
'They can physically see what they've been learning in class,” she said.
The class - which costs $25 - meets Monday nights at the Johnson County Joint Communication Center, unless otherwise noted in the curriculum. Applications can be found online though the individual departments or by contacting the partner agencies.
l Comments: (319) 398-8238; lee.hermiston@thegazette.com
A session of the Johnson County Citizens Police Academy. (image via icgov.org)