By admin 
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – After 14 weeks of learning about the inner workings of the police department, the 50th class of the Citizens Police Academy graduated.
Police officers face challenges every day that the average person doesn’t always see. The Academy breaks that barrier, allowing participants to better understand the research process, its unique technologies, and everything in between.
“It’s really a great time to get that training,” Capt. Colleen Stuart said.
The Citizen’s Academy’s primary goal is to equip its participants with the necessary tools to return to their inner circles and neighborhoods.
“They can be an ambassador for the police department,” Stuart explained. “They can hear something and say ‘no’. I talked to someone who is actually in charge of that and this is what they do.”
Graduate Jessica Burge runs one of the local Facebook scanner pages. She enrolled in the academy in hopes of better serving those members.
“Many of the decisions and conversations people make online are so uninformed and uneducated that it creates a false narrative,” Burge says. “I really believe that we have one of the better police departments not only in Kansas but in the United States, and if people take the opportunity to come to a civilian academy and learn more about it and get an education, I think that they could do that. share that information and we can simply be better informed.”
Stuart reminds everyone that the police cannot physically be everywhere.
“We need to have the community as a partner in reducing crime,” Stuart said. “It’s about looking out for each other. They are the eyes and ears that can give us information, we can take care of it and together we will find a solution.”
22 individuals graduated on November 7 and then celebrated with a potluck at the Law Enforcement Center.
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