SAPD Citizen Police Academy (San Antonio, Austin: crime, felony, home)

[majormadmax]

I just graduated from the SAPD Citizen Police Academy and thought I’d share my experiences with those who might be interested…

First, some info, straight from the CPA web site. The goal of the CPA is to “educate San Antonio citizens about the structure and activities of their police department.” It is not a "training" class, but an exciting "information" class for a behind- the-scenes look as the SAPD. The CPA program operates on the premise that informed and educated citizens will be more supportive of police officers and the department, and will be more productive within their own neighborhoods and communities.

The 11-week CPA course meets one night each week (Tuesdays) for 3 hours (7:00pm-10:00pm) at the San Antonio Police Training Academy on SE Loop 410.

Now, here’s an overview of what to expect; or at least what I experienced. Our first week was basic introductions and a couple of briefings on high-speed pursuits and the SAPD Traffic Division. Then some of the Academy driving instructors took us out on the driving training track and gave us a little sample of what a high speed pursuit felt like! Honestly, I was amazed at how well they could maneuver those large Crown Victoria Police Interceptors at those speeds! I wouldn’t eat anything heavy prior to the first class, as you may regret it during this ride; but they also let people opt out of it if for any reason they are not comfortable with doing it.

The second week was an in-depth overview on professional policing and the SAPD. It covered the organizational structure of the force, training standards SAPD officers must meet (TCLEOSE, or Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education), response times and use-of-force reports, and Internal Affairs. We also got a demonstration by the K-9 unit, with a Belgian Malinois named “Action” demonstrating his drug-sniffing abilities. It was very impressive!

Week three had detectives from Narcotics and Vice stopping by. Both were extremely interesting and shared a lot of information. They also had some amusing stories to tell, but I won’t spoil them.

The next week we had a very informative presentation from the forgery/identity theft unit that was a real eye-opener! You will learn a lot of tricks to better protect yourself from this briefing! That was followed by a Homicide detective who presented an excellent overview of some of the cases he worked. He also outlined the qualities of a good investigator that were quite insightful!

Week five was full of demonstrations, from felony traffic stops (with student participation, which was fun!) to the use of tasers (no student demo, but I did volunteer!) and the weapons simulator (again with student involvement). All were quite informative and really brought home the realities of situations the officers train for. I honestly felt that these instruction programs probably make the SAPD cadets think long and hard about the field they are about to enter, our brief introductions had a profound effect on me and we were only there for a basic orientation!

The next week we had the Hostage Negotiation Unit which was timely as there had been an incident involving them only a few days earlier. They showed footage of a few of their operations and went into deep details on the psyches of the people they encounter. It is really impressive the amount of resources dedicated to this unit, and how they approach the problems presented to them. They were followed by the SAPD CSI unit, who brought some of their equipment and showed pictures of some of the scenes they worked. Nothing too graphic, and the identities of the individuals were protected, but some were a bit gruesome!

The next week was one a lot of people were looking forward to, which was firearms training. Unlike high-speed pursuits, this time they were actually going to let us use the equipment ourselves; in this case .40 caliber Glock model 22s! First was an overview of all the weapons that could be issued to SAPD patrol officers, and how and when they could be employed. Then we were taken out to the range and were allowed to shoot five rounds through the pistols! Many in the class had never fired a firearm before, but all did well. One young lady actually made a smiley face with her shots, I don’t know who she was envisioning the target to be, but I’m glad it wasn’t me!

The excitement didn’t end there, as we were then briefed on the procedures for our ride-along. Yep, we got to work a shift with a SAPD patrol officer. I rode with one from the West subdivision on a Saturday evening, it was surprisingly less eventful than I expected (the officer stated the same) but we still had a busy night. It was an extremely educational experience and gave me a much greater understanding of the duties of a patrol officer in this city. Needless to say it also gave me a deeper respect for what these officers deal with on a daily basis, and how well they cope with it.

In subsequent weeks, we had briefings by the SAPD Gang Unit (lots of great info), SWAT (just a few days before the Taco Bell incident), The SA Park Police (a department I knew very little about), SAAFE (a proactive prevention crime program) and the course concluded with a visit by the SAPD helicopter unit, Blue Eagle. Oddly enough, the very next day I saw them in action just outside of Lackland looking for some burglars in the area.

Overall it was a very informative and enlightening experience. The course gives citizens an excellent insight into the operations and capabilities of the SAPD, and hopefully a greater appreciation for what they do. I was very impressed by the professionalism and friendliness of all the officers I encountered during the program, the goal is to reach out to the local community to foster a better understanding of both sides. Yes, there was a great demand for our feedback during the class; the SAPD is trying hard to improve communications with the general public and this is one such program to help them do so.

I highly recommend the SAPD Citizen Police Academy to anyone who has an interest in law enforcement or merely seeks to know more about our police department. About a quarter of the class was made up of younger individuals looking for a career in law enforcement, the rest were just citizens like myself who wanted a better understanding of how the SAPD operates. There is no cost for the course and the CPA is currently accepting applications for Class 2011-B, which starts on 12 April. You can register online here and Officers McDaniel or Garza, the class coordinators, will contact you shortly afterward. The class after this won't be until October (2011-C), so if you are thinking about signing up do so quickly to get into this upcoming one!

I know that was a bit long but I wanted to share my experience with everyone. Feel free to post up any questions you might have, or DM me for more info. I thoroughly enjoyed this opportunity, and honestly am a little sad that it is over. However, there are other opportunities to get involved, such as the Citizens on Patrol or Volunteers in Policing programs. I may pursue one of those, and will let everyone know how it works out if I do!

Cheers! M2

[apal]

Thats great information. How long was the total course?

[nismospec]

3rd sentence/paragraph
"The 11-week CPA course meets one night each week"

[Newk]

Great right up man. I still want to do Cellular on patrol.

[majormadmax]

Originally Posted by Newk

Great right up man. I still want to do Cellular on patrol.

SAPD has a good COP program, with info on how to join!

Cheers! M2

[apal]

Originally Posted by nismospec

3rd sentence/paragraph
"The 11-week CPA course meets one night each week"

My fault for skimming

[Backliteyes]

Sounds very interesting. Maybe I'll look into the class that starts in October.

[doss1]

Nice! I did it back in the 90s when I was in high school, but sadly, I dropped out...

Also did a ride-along with the Austin Fire Department for a college assignment (and got an A+ because my teacher loved firemen).

[majormadmax]

Thread revival!

Unfortunately, due to budget issues the SAPD Citizen Police Academies were temporarily halted; but a new one started up last Tuesday evening.

Dates for future classes have not be announced, but I wanted to update the link in my original post in case anyone is interested in learning more about the SAPD and the job they do. It is very enlightening!

Citizen Participation Programs

[huckster]

Max, SAPD should offer an online course for John Q. Public. An law enforcement briefed public is a more aware and effective citizenry. Thuggery is everwhere, even on this forum.
The Cop Crown Victoria was, a great sedan and performed like a Ford Mustang on steroids. It is too bad Ford Motor Co. has ceased production of that workhorse. Great cars they were.