INDIANA UNIVERSITY PURDUE UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS

COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING Administration Building, Suite 136 355 N. Lansing Street Indianapolis, Indiana 46202-2896 317-274-7711 Fax: 317-274-5457

CITIZEN POLICE ACADEMY AT IUPUI OFFERS IN-DEPTH LOOK AT POLICE WORK

INDIANAPOLIS - Ever wonder what it would be like to be at the wheel of a patrol car dispatched on an emergency run?

Or what would it be like, as a police officer, to make split-second decisions on whether to shoot your weapon or hold your fire?

You can discover first-hand the answer to these and other questions about law enforcement operations by enrolling in the free Citizen Police Academy, offered by the Indiana University Police Department at IUPUI.

The academy offers members of the campus community a rare, in-depth view of the training, duties, and responsibilities of university police officers. The department is accepting applications now for the academy. Criminal justice majors who enroll in the academy are eligible for a three-hour internship credit. These internships are limited and subject to approval the Department Chair, Kenna Quinet.

Beginning February 5, the academy will meet every Tuesday on the IUPUI campus from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. for 14 weeks.

Among other things, members of the academy will take the controls of a driving simulator that will put them in the virtual driver's seat of a patrol car on an emergency run. Academy members also will have the opportunity to participate in F. A. T. S., the firearms automated training system, which gauges not only whether you should shoot, but also whether you shot quickly and accurately enough, if it was appropriate to do so.

Other topics that will be covered include police training at the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy; use of force; duties and responsibilities of patrol officers as well as mounted patrol and bicycle patrol officers; crime scene investigation; and fingerprint development.

"The academy shows participants what university police officers do and explains why they do it," Sgt. Jerry Baker said. "It will lead participants through the complete process of what happens when a crime is reported through the prosecution of the crime."

Increasing understanding of why police do what they do leads to better cooperative problem solving between police and the university community, he noted. "There are no secrets in this business. Everything we do is done for a reason."

The academy will review the training police receive and give participants a chance to go through some of it. Discovering the kinds and extent of the training officers receive, including a 40-hour course and 25-mile test ride bicycle patrol officers must complete, may come as a surprise to some, he added.

Applicants must be at least 18 years of age and are subject to a criminal history check. For more information, call Sgt. Baker at (317) 274-2059, or send him an email at . Applications may be completed on-line by logging on to www.police.iupui.edu/citizen.police.html.

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