For those who are interested in law enforcement, feel strongly dedicated to their community, or have simply ever wondered what it would feel like to arrest someone, the Owensboro Police Department has the ideal opportunity for you.
The Citizen’s Police Academy is designed to educate Owensboro citizens about life behind the badge of an Owensboro police officer. The Owensboro Police Department wants to unite the community and the police force by teaching citizens the ins and outs of being a police officer, focusing on a deeper understanding and knowledge of the job that many citizens may lack. This is the OPD’s 25th year teaching the Citizen’s Police Academy.
The first academy class will be held Thursday, August 9. Each class lasts three hours and is held once a week for ten weeks. A wide array of training will be taught during that timeframe, beginning with a tour of OPD Headquarters. After citizens learn the layout, training dives into standard police activities such as patrol operations, the hiring process, training, accreditation and the professional standards required of an officer in the OPD.
As the weeks continue, citizens will learn what the OPD does in greater detail. Some of the events involved include criminal investigations, reading a polygraph, narcotics investigations, hazardous material recovery, learning to use portable breath test for DUIs, and arrest and handcuff procedures. Citizens will also have the opportunity to learn dispatch codes, how to handle a firearm and K-9 officer training and procedures.
Once citizens have completed the ten classes and graduate, the OPD hopes each person will walk away with, not only a better understanding of what life is like in the OPD, but a better relationship with Owensboro’s officers, thereby enhancing communication between the police and the community it serves.
