On November 3, 2015 at 7:00 PM, nineteen very civic-minded individuals graduated from the Kingsport Police Department’s Citizens Police Academy. The graduation ceremony took place at City Hall at the regular business meeting of the City of Kingsport’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen. These individuals made up the 36th class of K.P.D.’s highly acclaimed Citizens Police Academy.
This most recent class of the C.P.A. took place during the month of October, 2015. Classes were held every Tuesday and Thursday evening at 6:00 PM over the course of four weeks. Each class lasted approximately three hours in duration. Class topics included:
1) Welcome, Orientation, Justice Center Tour
2) The Police K-9
3) Traffic Stops and Building Searches
4) Crime Scene Investigations
5) Explosive Ordnance Disposal
6) Collision and D.U.I. Investigations
7) Special Weapons and Tactics
8) Defensive Tactics and the Use of Force
In addition to the regularly scheduled classes, attendees were also given the opportunity to meet Chief of Police David Quillin and his Command Staff, go on a ride-along with a K.P.D. Patrol Officer, and tour the brand new Kingsport 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Center.
The first K.P.D. C.P.A. was held in 1993, and to date there have been approximately 600 citizens who have graduated from the program. Citizens Academy alumni include mayors, aldermen, city managers, physicians, clergy, teachers, business owners, family members of police officers, members of the media, and many other citizens in general. With each graduating class, the list of prospective goodwill ambassadors continues to grow.
The goal of the Kingsport Police Department’s Citizens Police Academy is to foster a better relationship between the community and the police department. It is envisioned that graduates will gain an understanding of the day to day operation of the police department and develop an awareness and appreciation of the various challenges and decisions faced every day by Kingsport Police Officers.
The Citizens Academy is not designed to prepare citizens to become police officers, but rather to give everyday citizens a chance to walk a few steps in the shoes of a police officer in order to better understand what they do and why they do it. K.P.D. plans to hold the next class of the C.P.A. in the Fall of 2016. |