Alexandria Police Citizens Academy Accepting Applications

The Alexandria Police Department is seeking community members to join its Citizens Academy.

The 10-week training course is designed to educate Alexandrians about various aspects of the department, including administrative philosophy, internal policies and the guiding principles of law and ethical conduct governing police services

Class topics include patrol operations, gangs, crime prevention, crime scene investigations, criminal investigations and the Special Operations Team.

For more news about the Alexandria Police and Fire departments and other local news, sign up for the Patch daily newsletter, follow us on Twitter and Like us on Facebook.

The academy will be held every Wednesday from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Police Department headquarters, 3600 Wheeler Ave., in the first-floor Community Room. 

Classes begin March 13 and end with a formal graduation ceremony May 22.

The deadline for registration is Feb. 10.

The program is offered free of charge, however, each participant will be asked to volunteer for a minimum of 10 hours per year post graduation. This could involve assisting with events, such as parades, road races, National Night Out or Project SafeAssured, for example.

Class size is limited to 20 participants and participants are asked to commit to attending all of the 10 sessions. Participants of the Citizens Police Academy must be at least 21 years old and live or work in the city. In addition, Criminal History checks will be conducted on all applicants for final approval.

For more information on the Citizens Police Academy or to request an application, visit www.alexandriava.gov/police or e-mail the Volunteer Office at Virginia.Obranovich@alexandriava.gov.