The next Bartlesville Citizens Police Academy begins March 12, 2020, and ends May 21, 2020, Police Chief Tracy Roles said recently.
“The police department is excited to once again offer this great opportunity for citizens to have firsthand insight into how officers perform their duties and how the Bartlesville Police Department serves the community,” Roles said.
The academy is designed to increase the understanding between the citizens and the police by educating the community. The intent is to acquaint citizens with law enforcement’s role in the criminal justice system and provide increased understanding of the tasks and duties that police officers face in their daily work.
“This promotes better understanding and assists the citizens in finding realistic solutions to the community’s or neighborhood problems,” Roles said.
Participants will meet one night a week from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. for 11 weeks and receive approximately 33 hours of classroom instruction by police officers with a mixture of lecture format and scenario/hands-on instruction.
“The focus of the training is to create an informed public that is better able to understand decisions made by the police department,” Roles said. “We want participants to have enough background information to know why the police ‘do what they do,’ and we hope these classes will break down many barriers between the police and the public.”
Applicants must be at least 18 years of age, live or work in the Bartlesville/Dewey area and pass a background check to the satisfaction of police department administration.
Applications are available online or at the police department, 615 S. Johnstone Ave. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Applications should be submitted to the police department by Feb. 14, 2020. Class size is limited to 20.
For more information, contact Special Assistant to the Chief Rick Silver at 918.338.4133 or email rsilver@cityofbartlesville.org.