Every year, Decatur’s Police Department holds a citizens police academy for residents who want to know more about the inner workings of local law enforcement.

It was Decatur’s 21st class, Sgt. Jennifer Ross said via email.

“CPA participants attended Thursday evening classes for eight weeks and learned about various topics such as Criminal Law & Procedure, The Investigative Process, Trends in Illegal Drug Activity, Traffic Enforcement, Use of Force, Recruitment & Training and Firearms Safety & Familiarization,” Ross said. “As part of the CPA program, participants completed ride-a-longs with patrol officers to observe their day to day duties firsthand.”

Police Departments around the country use the citizens academy model to educate and engage residents. According to the National Citizens Police Academy Association (Editor’s note: more evidence there’s an association for everything), the citizens academy model dates back to the late 1970s.

The concept was actually imported to America from the U.K. like so many of our best TV shows. The first American version of the Citizens Police Academy appeared in Orlando, Fla. in 1985. The academies became an effective public relations tool and soon spread to other cities, the NCPAA says.

Decatur Police held a graduation ceremony on Nov. 14.

The Decatur Police Department hosts the Citizens Police Academy once a year from September through November, Ross said. If you are interested in the CPA program, please call or email Sgt. Jennifer Ross, 678/553-6613 or [email protected], so you can directly receive the application announcement next Summer.