- Citizen Academy -

CITIZEN ACADEMY NOW ENROLLING

Ever wonder what police do? Have you seen the inside of a police station? Want to learn about the Special Enforcement Detail Team? Get these and more questions answered by attending TPD’s 26th Citizen’s Academy

TUSTIN, Calif. –  Each year the Tustin Police Department holds a Citizen Police Academy. The academy, introduces citizens to policing tactics and to the officers that make up the Tustin Police Department. The 2008 Citizen’s Academy will begin February 7, 2008 and last for 12 weeks. The Academy meets every Thursday evening from 6:30 to 9:30 pm at the Tustin Police Department, 300 Centennial Way.

“We hold the Citizen Police Academy for participants that want to be more involved in their community and to provide a better understanding between citizens and police through education. The academy also provides our officers another chance to get to know our residents so that we can remain responsive to the needs and attitudes of the community,” said Police Chief Scott Jordan. “The program provides graduates with an understanding of the issues facing law enforcement and how the police approach various problems.”

The curriculum of the Citizen’s Academy exposes citizens with a “mini” police academy and the curriculum and lectures include:

PARTICIPANT REQUIREMENTS
Potential Candidates for the Citizen Academy must fill out an application which is available at the front counter of the police department. Candidates must meet the following criteria:
•  Minimum age of 21 years.
•  Live, Work in Tustin, or surrounding areas.
•  No prior felony convictions.
•  No misdemeanor arrests within one year of application.
Due to the limited space in each academy class, participants must be able to commit to attending each week within the 13-week program. Students cannot select certain classes in the program to attend. In addition, due to the quick pace of the classes, they will begin promptly at 6:30 PM each night.

SELECTION PROCESS
Citizen Academy participants are selected by the Academy Staff after review of the applications, a routine records check, and a brief interview. A waiting list is often established if the academy is full, or if an applicant's schedule conflicts with the schedule, and the applicant chooses to wait for a future class.

ACADEMY STAFF
The Citizen Academy is currently run through Tustin PD's Professional Standards Unit. The Academy staff are:

Lt. John Strain
Sgt. Jeff Blair
Master Officer Val Villarreal Jr.
Officer George Vallevieni
Police Services Officer Dave Maher

Community members interested in signing up can download an application from www.tustinca.org. Applications and questions should be directed to Community Relations Officer, George Valleviene at 714-573-3272 or gvallevieni@tustinca.org.