HARLINGEN — This past week, the first Harlingen Citizen’s Police Academy was honored with a mayoral proclamation.
It is fitting and deserving as the organization will turn 25 in March.
The first Harlingen CPA was held in 1991.
By 1993, several graduates formed the CPA Alumni to further the mission — simply, to enhance the rapport between citizens and police officers.
The overall objective is to provide citizens with sound and accurate information about HPD and the criminal justice process.
Citizens are then able to make informed decisions regarding issues involving the PD and police activity.
The Citizen’s Police Academy is not a program designed to create cops. It is a pro-active program designed to produce informed citizens. It provides citizens with the knowledge to understand how the PD works and conducts business.
This interactive program combines policy and legal aspects with practical knowledge, procedure, guidelines, responsibilities, demands and how this impacts behavior and decisions of police officers.
The CPA helps cultivate informed citizens who meet the HPD face to face in a neutral friendly setting which reduces fears and misconceptions resulting in conflict from misunderstanding. Graduates become informed citizens who can now share their knowledge and experiences with friends, family and neighbors.
During these several weeks, speakers present a topic from different disciplines or areas of HPD. Class participants in turn share their experiences and learned information with family and fellow students.
This all further improves and strengthens the concept of community oriented police work. Typical subjects include Uniformed Services, Crime Scene Unit, Penal Code, Firearm Safety, K-9 Unit, Investigative Services, Narcotics, Self-Defense, SWAT, Crimestoppers and more.
The weekly Ride Along Program provides students the opportunity to ride in a marked police unit with a patrol officer.
The CPA Alumni are an organization of knowledgeable citizens who serve the community and the Harlingen Police Department.
“We encourage friends, family and co-workers to join the Harlingen Police Department in this rewarding program,” said Lenore Combs, president of the Harlingen CPAAA. “It is one of Harlingen’s greatest assets. Here, they will have a unique opportunity to further learn about the role of the Harlingen Police Department and its many functions, services and capabilities.”
A Citizen’s Police Academy is a proven asset that can create a dynamic bridge between law enforcement and the community. It is a great learning tool with benefits for all.
The CPA Alumni volunteer with pride and credibility as they support local law enforcement without monetary compensation.
Combs said service to others is the hallmark of their character CPA Alumni members have been referred to as “police evangelists” who go out into the community and help correct the stereotypes and dispel the negative myths about police officers. The CPA is intended to open lines of communication.
Upon completion, graduates are invited to join the Citizen’s Police Academy Alumni Association and attend the monthly meeting, Combs said.
There are multiple volunteer opportunities at the Police Department.
Almost every month there is an event with the PD in which we are involved. Some activities include Winter Texan Appreciation Day, Market Days on Jackson, Blues On The Hill, Halloween on Jackson, Lighting On The Arroyo and the Harlingen Annual Jaycees Christmas parade to name just a few.
What is the Citizen’s Police Academy?
The overall objective is to provide citizens with sound and accurate information about HPD and the criminal justice process.
Citizens are then able to make informed decisions regarding issues involving the PD and police activity.
It is a pro-active program designed to produce informed citizens. It provides citizens with the knowledge to understand how the PD works and conducts business. This interactive program combines policy and legal aspects with practical knowledge, procedure, guidelines, responsibilities, demands and how this impacts behavior and decisions of police officers.
