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Florida State University Police Department Citizen’s Police Academy |
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Thank you for visiting the Florida State University Police Department’s Citizen’s Police Academy Webpage. Here, you will learn some basic facts about what our Citizen’s Police Academy is, when the next class is due to launch, and how to get signed up. The next Citizen’s Police Academy session will be held over a period of eight weeks. Why a Citizen’s Police Academy? Law enforcement has traditionally thought of itself as a closed society, and some law enforcement officers have even taken pride in the thought of law enforcement as a “brotherhood”, where no one could possibly understand the stresses of law enforcement, except fellow officers. In today’s society, such a thought process is extremely detrimental to the effective delivery of law enforcement services. More and more, law enforcement understands that it is answerable to citizens. Law enforcement officers are, after all, the arm of civilian law. In a complex society, where complex law enforcement decisions must be made, it is important that the people, who provide the power to law enforcement to do their jobs, are fully informed of just what their “employees” do.
The same holds true in law enforcement. Television, by and large, serves a conduit for informing the public regarding law enforcement. Cops chasing robbers in cars, shootouts, murders, intrigue – great entertainment. It is not uncommon for an FSUPD officer to interact with a student and have the student ask, “Have you been in a shootout before?” While this may be somewhat amusing, in reality, the thought of law enforcement officers dealing with situations with guns blazing is not a desirable idea. Yes, law enforcement can be dangerous on occasion, but truly, the profession is so much more. Florida State University policing is a special variation of police work, and certainly, our constituency deserves a better cross section of who is out protecting the FSU community.
The Florida State University Police Department Citizen’s Police Academy is strongly focused on engaging students actively in the learning process. Students, therefore, can expect the most “hands-on” experience that can possibly provided. WHAT WILL BE TAUGHT? The following subjects are taught at the CPA:
HOW TO SIGN UP This page has a link to a sign up form for you to complete. Once you submit your application, your request to participate in the CPA will be reviewed by the CPA instruction team. You will then be notified whether or not you will be in the next CPA class! Alternatively, you may come to the FSU Police Department and fill out a printed form. The FSUPD is also happy to assist you with completing an alternative form of the application upon your request. The CPA is offered as a public service by the FSU Police Department and there is no cost to you.
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Think about it in this fashion: If the boss of a major corporation asks a certain group of employees to carry out a specific task, the boss will, from time to time, gain information on the performance of the employees. If the boss is fully informed on how the employees are trained, what issues they confront, and what product they are producing, he or she can effectively evaluate their performance.
The FSUPD Citizen’s Police Academy strives to open the doors of the police department to the FSU community and greatly enhance the understanding between FSUPD employees and the campus. The CPA allows members of the FSU neighborhood, who may otherwise only have a limited interaction with FSU police officers, to get an exclusive, inside view of what makes FSUPD and its officers tick. In the same vein, FSUPD employees are afforded an opportunity to develop professional and lasting relationships with their university colleagues. The idea of a Citizen’s Police Academy at FSU is a win-win proposition!