Citizens Police Academy

About the Program

The Citizens Police Academy is an 11-week program designed to give the participants a basic knowledge of how the police department operates. The academy is hosted by the Quad Cities area law enforcement agencies including the East Moline Police Department, Moline Police Department, Rock Island Police Department, Silvis Police Department, Milan Police Department, Rock Island County Sheriff's Department, and the Illinois State Police.

Classroom instruction is presented by police officers from the sponsoring agencies that cover a wide variety of law enforcement topics such as patrol, investigations, and firearms. Participants have an opportunity to shoot a police issued handgun and tour the county jail. Participants are also encouraged to go on patrol as a ride-along to witness first-hand the police officer’s work on the beat.

Weekly Sessions & Times

The academy is held annually, typically in the early Spring. Each weekly session is from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm. At the conclusion of the course, participants are awarded special certificates and honored at a dinner reception.

Program Benefits

Benefits of the program include:

• Citizens and police officers have an opportunity to work closely together and exchange views.
• Citizens gain a better understanding of how their police department works.
• Citizens can better appreciate how the criminal justice system works and be aware of some of the restrictions the police deal with.
• Citizens can see first-hand how their tax dollars are being spent.
• Police officers get feedback from citizens who are not directly involved in law enforcement.
• Crime can be reduced by cooperation between the citizens and the Police Department.

Enrollment

Participants must be at least 21 years old and live or work in the Illinois quad city metropolitan area. Applicants are subjected to a background and criminal history check.

Application

Are you interested in attending the Citizens Police Academy? We accept applications between November and February each year. The application link will be active during that time.