New Citizens Academy, New Opportunity...

Raytown (MO) Police Department will be hosting a Citizen's Police Academy. It starts tonight (January 16, 2013) and lasts 8 weeks. I believe this is their first Citizen's Police Academy. I'll find out tonight and update this blog if I am incorrect. Topics covered during this 8 week program include:  crime analysis, patrol operations, domestic violence, narcotics investigation, and Neighborhood Crime Watch programs. It also includes a ride along with an officer in their patrol division. 

For more information about Raytown Police Department or to learn more about their Citizen's Police Academy visit their facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/RaytownPolice or their website at http://www.raytown.mo.us/. They are also on twitter @RaytownPD and have a blog on blogspot:  http://raytownpolice.blogspot.com/. 

 

Part of my goal in participating in a Citizen's Academy is to improve community relations with local Fire, EMS and Police agencies. As noted in my blog, I am a Disaster Services Technician (DAT) with the Red Cross. Many times when arriving on scene of a disaster whether it be a fire, flood, tornado, etc., Fire, EMS and Police may be on scene. As a DAT it's important to be able to work cooperatively with Fire, EMS and Police. I am also interested in becoming CERT certified which will entangle me a little more with Fire, EMS and Police. I have a background in EMS but since it's been a while, I did a ride along with a friend who worked with Raytown EMS a year or so ago. Now I am getting the opportunity to do a ride along with Raytown Police. Looking forward to that since it will be with a friend who works in patrol with RPD! :) 

 

In 2012 I attended a citizen's academy through Johnson County (KS) Sheriff's Office which was a great experience. Now I want to see what differences there are between a Sheriff's Office and Police Department (if any). Still not sure how much I will blog about this experience but thought I would at least give Raytown Police Department some blog time since they are allowing me to attend their academy. There is no residency requirement to attend their citizen's academy so even though I live in Kansas I can attend.  I encourage anyone interested in learning more about law enforcement to attend a citizen's academy or at least do a ride along with a local agency. You can learn more about local agencies offering a citizen's academy by clicking here or find an agency that offers a ride along program by clicking here. 

 

As with JCSO, Raytown Police Department has volunteer opportunities for citizens. I live in Kansas, work in Missouri and since I am not a resident of Raytown I am not sure if there are volunteer opportunties for me. It's worth a listen though. I hope to increase my volunteer hours this year. I really fell out of sync last year due to the stressful year I had. Volunteering and running always seem to help get me back in to routine so I am exploring different volunteer opportunities this year. I am sure I will blog about those opportunties as they arise. New Citizen's Academy, New Opportunity...  Looking forward to seeing what 2013 presents. Thanks for reading! 

 

Don't have time to attend a Citizens Academy? How about a Ride-Along?

Don't have time to attend a Citizen's Academy but you would like to learn a little bit more about what law enforcement officers do?  Why not do a "Ride-Along" with a law enforcement officer?  A Ride-Along enables the general public to observe first hand what officers encounter during a normal tour of duty. 

Many agencies nationwide allow citizens to do a Ride-Along with an officer or deputy.  Here is a list of agencies in the KC metro area that have a Ride-Along program:

City of Grandview Police Department offers Ride-Alongs for citizens.  You can fill out an application at the station.  To learn more click here.

Kansas City Kansas Police Department encourages citizens to do a Ride-Along.  To fill out an application click here. 

Kansas City Missouri Police Department encourages citizens to do a Ride-Along. To fill out an application visit any patrol station.  To learn more click here.   

Lenexa Police Department offers Ride-Alongs to residents.  According to their web page Ride-Alongs are not to exceed 4 hours and are not scheduled on weekends.  To learn more click here.

City of Raymore (MO) offers citizens a Ride-Along program.  Ride-Alongs will not last longer than 4 hours and citizens are limited to 4 tours per year. To learn more click here.

Raytown Police Police Department encourages citizens to do a Ride-Along.  A Ride-Along is also offered to citizens who complete the Citizens Academy.  To learn more click here.  To fill out an application click here.

Shawnee Police Department offers a Civilian Observer program for residents which includes a Ride-Along with an officer.  Non-residents enrolled in an accredited Criminal Justice Intern program may also participate.  To learn more click here.

Spring Hill (KS) Police Department offers Ride-Alongs to citizens.  To learn more click here.


Some agencies only allow citizens to do a Ride-Along if they participate in the Citizens Academy (Adults) or Explorers Program (Youth).  Those agencies include:

Cass County Sheriff's Office - Citizens Academy
City of Independence (MO) - Citizens Academy
Johnson County (KS) Sheriff's Office - Citizens Academy
Olathe Police Department - Citizens Academy
Overland Park Police Department - Explorers Program
Parkville Police Department - Explorers Program
Prairie Village Police Department - Citizens Academy


If any of the above information is incorrect or you would like to update or add an agency that provides a Ride-Along program please feel free to let me know either via email or by leaving a comment.  Thanks!


Oh and if you do decide to do a Ride-Along, don't catch the patrol car on fire. They frown upon that...

 

Many agencies utilize the services of volunteers.  Since this blog is not only about Citizens Academys' but also about volunteering, I will do an entry soon about volunteering with law enforcement and what agencies have volunteer opportunities for citizens.

Want to attend a Citizens Academy? KC metro area (KS & MO) has many to choose from...

I started this blog to recap my experience attending the Citizens Academy through Johnson County Sheriff's Office this past spring.  I got off topic because life threw some challenges at me this year.  I intend to continue to use this blog to talk about volunteering but also about future Citizens Academy's I may attend. 

Want to attend a Citizens Academy?  The Kansas City metro area has many to choose from including of course... Johnson County Sheriff's Office. 

 

 To register for the Johnson County (KS) Sheriff's Office Citizens Academy visit their web page at: http://www.jocosheriff.org.  They typically host a spring and fall academy. 

And of course you can read my recap about their academy by reading my entries in this blog dated Feb - May 2012.

Here are other Citizens Academy offerings in Kansas:

Douglas County Sheriff's Office offers a citizens academy each fall.  To learn more click here.

City of Edwardsville Police Department offers a 7 week Citizens Academy. To learn more click here. 

Kansas City Kansas Police Department hosts a Citizens Academy. To learn more about their academy visit their web page here.

Lawrence Police Department offers a 30 hour Citizens Academy. To learn more about their academy visit their web page here.

Leawood Police Department offers a 10 week Citizens Academy. To learn more about their academy visit their web page here.

Lenexa Police Department offers a spring and fall Citizens Academy.  To learn more click here.

Merriam Police Department offers a fall Citizens Academy.  To learn more click here.

Miami County Sheriffs Office hosts a Citizens Academy.  To learn more click here.

Olathe Police Department hosts a Citizens Academy in the fall of each year. To learn more click here to visit their web page.

Overland Park Police Department offers an 8 week Citizens Academy in the fall. To learn more click here to visit their web page.

Prairie Village Police Department offers an 11 week Citizens Academy. To learn more visit their web page by clicking here.

Shawnee Police Department hosts a 10 week Citizens Academy in the fall. To learn more click here.

 

 

Here are Citizens Academy offerings in Missouri:

Belton Police Department offers an 8 week Citizens Academy.  You can learn more by clicking here. 

Cass County Sheriff's Office offers an 8 week Citizens Academy.  Click here to learn more.

The City of Harrisonville offered it's first ever Citizens Academy this fall.  To learn more click here.

Independence Police Department hosts a 10 week Citizens Academy.  To learn more click  here.

Lee's Summit Police Department hosts a 10 week Citizens Academy.  To learn more visit their web page by clicking here.

Kansas City Missouri Police Department hosts a Citizens Academy in the fall each year.  To learn more about their academy visit their web page here.

 

City of Raymore Police Department offers an 8 week Citizens Academy.  To learn more click here.

 

Raytown Police Police Department will host a Citizens Academy starting in January 2013.  Not sure but I think this is their first ever Citizens Academy. To learn more visit their facebook page here.  To register for their academy go here. 

 

And finally, the FBI offers a Citizens Academy.  Visit their page by clicking here to learn more.   .

This list may not be all inclusive. I listed those that I am aware of and was able to find a web page or facebook page for. If I have missed an agency that hosts a Citizens Academy please feel free to let me know and I will add them to the list.

 

Most agencies require citizen's to either live or work in the agency's jurisdiction in order to attend a Citizens Academy.  Academies are free of charge to attend!  Be sure to visit their web page to learn more about each respective agency's Citizens Academy.  If you have never attended a Citizens Academy, it is worth the time!  Have fun! 

If you have been following my blog and are wondering which Citizens Academy I will be attending in the spring, hint... it's one of the above! 

 

 

Past, present and future...

Wow have I gotten way off track in this blog.  Oops...  let me try to get back on track a bit.

Past - The Johnson County Sheriff's Office Citizen's Academy wrapped up it's 31st class last night.  I hope they enjoyed it as much as those of us from previous classes did!  Approximately 620 people have attended the JCSO citizen's academy since they started holding classes in 2001.  If you would like to attend, visit their web page here and fill out an application.  They do have a waiting list so if you apply now it will likely be the fall 2013 class before your name is called.  I think you will find it worth the wait and the time to attend though!

Present - I have mentioned volunteering a lot in this blog.  Once you complete the Citizen's Academy you have the opportunity to continue on and volunteer with the Sheriff's Office if you so choose.  There are a variety of opportunties to choose from.  I am not currently volunteering with the Sheriff's Office but will continue to post about other adventures I get my self in to through the Red Cross, Wayside Waifs and other organizations I volunteer with (particularly when the activities are in cooperation with local law enforcement since that's really what this blog started out about.).  Hope to join back up with the Sheriff's Office in the summer when they need help with traffic control for parades, etc. 

Future - Have no fear, if you are reading this blog because you want to learn more about a Citizen's Academy, you can read all about my class's (30th class) experience by reviewing the blog entries dated Feb - May 2012.  Okay that's a past event, oops.  Here's a future event:  I will be attending a local citizen's academy other than Johnson County Sheriff's Office in 2013.  I have heard from many people that it's a good idea to attend both a Sheriff's Office sponsored academy and a City/Municipality sponsored citizen's academy and so that's what I will be doing.  Want to know what academy I will be attending?  You'll have to check back here periodically.  (Not nice of me to not tell is it?  Hey, I have to get you to come back somehow don't I?)  I will post updates as I learn the start date, agenda, etc.  Looking forward to experiencing another academy! 

Welcoming the new Citizen's Academy class - JCSO Citizen's Academy

On August 14, 2012 the Johnson County Sheriff's Office welcomed in participants of the 31st class of the Citizen's Academy and guess who got invited to speak to them?  Me!  Okay so maybe Rita forgot to line someone up and just happened to get a hold of me to see if I would speak.  (Dave Deucher, also a graduate of the 30th class, was contacted by Rita to speak as well.)   Still though... me, really?  Out of the 18 who completed the 30th class I was a little surprised I was one of 2 asked to come back and speak to the new class. 

It was actually fun!  (Thanks Rita for asking me!)  I encouraged the new class to have fun, ask a lot of questions and don't admit to being a cop magnet!  Captain Simpson had mentioned to the class that many people don't realize Johnson County has a Sheriff's Office and that many times deputies are asked if they work for Overland Park or the Olathe Police Department.  When it was my turn to speak, I really hadn't planned on what I would say so I started off by saying that I also didn't know there was a Sheriff's Office in Johnson County until I got pulled over by a deputy a few years ago.  That got a chuckle from the class. 

Seriously though, I talked briefly about why I wanted to attend the academy, why it was a good idea to attend all the classes/activities (and if they missed a scheduled class to talk to Rita about making it up with the next academy class), to ask questions and have fun!  I concluded by encouraging them to consider volunteering for the Sheriff's Office after graduation if they don't currently volunteer somewhere.  Dave and I both commented about some of the events we have volunteered at since graduating.  It is a great way to meet new people (other class graduates as well as deputies we didn't meet during our class), learn new things and give back to the community!

Welcome Class #31!  Have fun!  12 weeks goes by really fast, enjoy the experience!!!

 

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Why attend a Citizen's Academy? - JCSO Citizen's Academy

Why would someone want to attend a Citizen's Academy?

Well there are many reasons why someone might want to attend.  Here are a few reasons why participants from the 30th class attended:

"I was looking at JOCO Sheriffs employment opportunities and noticed they were accepting applications for the Civilian Specialists position. I requested an application and have yet to turn it in. I saw the opportunity for the Citizens Academy and thought what a great way to get an inside look at the Sheriff’s Office and get an idea of the responsibilities they have and how they provide for our community. After being involved with the academy, I know now more than ever before that God has opened this door for me and it is up to me what I do now… Do I take the chance and walk through the opened door or stand at the threshold just looking in wondering what it would be like on the other side. Well I can’t just stand there and wonder! Seeing the personnel that we have met, and building some personal relationships with them. I feel I have an opportunity of a lifetime and can’t pass it up so I have filled out the application. I have been inspired to follow my dream and I want to pursue the possibility of becoming a deputy. Since the start of the Citizens Academy, I have lost over 20lbs and trying to get into better shape and hope and pray that I am offered a position with the department starting at the Civilian Specialist and transition into a position as a deputy at some point. Attending the academy has been a “God thing” from the beginning and I know I would be a great asset to the department if given the opportunity."

"Something different to do.  Plus I liked learning about the differences in law enforcement agencies... between city, state and county."


"To get a more in depth look at the field I want to go in to."


"I refer to myself as a 'new born American'. I am still learning how to better understand the great American system, my tribute and respect goes to our everyday heroes, our Law Enforcement Officers. One way to honor them is to understand and value their role in the community and this classes allowed accomplishing this."


"My husband is a deputy. He has encouraged me for years to attend the academy so I can get an inside look at his career. I finally decided to enroll because I want to become involved as a volunteer with Johnson County Sheriff's Office."


"I want to be a police officer. I thought it would be a great way to learn more and of course to get a foot in the door."


"As part of my job responsibilities over the years I have been doing stress testing and physical agility testing on LEO's. Many times I have been asked to do a ride-a-long with a LEO so that I would have a better understanding of their job.  Since I now oversee our stress testing program I thought it might be a good idea to learn about the job as a whole so I looked in to the idea of attending a citizens academy."


"An opportunity to volunteer for and support the local Sheriff's Office"

Are you interested in attending the Citizen's Academy?

The academy is free of charge and involves interactive instruction through both classroom presentations and field experience. To register visit the Johnson County Sheriff's Office web page at:

http://www.jocosheriff.org/

It's an adventure...  :) 

Ride Along #2 - JCSO Citizen's Academy

I did my second ride along today (Tuesday May 22, 2012).  Ride Along #2 was more interesting than Ride Along #1 with exception to the patrol car fail of course!

I rode with Deputy Becker again.   She tolerated me the first go round so I figured why not ride with her again since she said I could come back and ride with her anytime.

The day started with the captain at roll call giving me crap about the patrol car fail during my first ride along.   He asked if anyone had a car they wanted taken out of service.   I guess it's good to be remembered!   Wonder what memory will last longer, the patrol car going up in smoke or winning the cone killer award?  Deputy Becker had to mention the cone killer award in roll call!  I don't think the captain wants to see me in roll call again.   He did laugh though when Deputy Becker said she was going to find some orange traffic cones and let me drive so I think he was kidding about seeing me there again...

April 23, 2012 - "Patrol Car Fail" during First Ride Along

May 21, 2012 - "Cone Killer" Award presented at Graduation Ceremony

We ventured out to District 5 which is the eastern portion of the county. Deputy Becker made a few traffic stops today. One was for a hefty fine of $237 for doing 34 in a 20 (school zone).   He actually said thank you!  He wasn't wearing his seat belt either but only got a warning for that.   Guess he didn't realize that's only a $10 fine (versus the $237 fine he got for speeding).   Can't say I've ever said thank you for receiving a ticket!!!   Turns out the driver works for a lawn service that a fire fighter owns.   We stopped at a fire station for a bathroom break and it happened to be the station that fire fighter was at.   It was one of his employees that got the ticket.   He asked us about the traffic stop and was good humored about it.

At one point we were stopped after delivering civil papers so that Deputy Becker could finish some paperwork.   I was bored so I was looking at stuff in the passenger side door.   We heard a thump and she asked me if I found something interesting.   Yep!  A big black Labrador dog had jumped up on the passenger door to say "Hi".   He was quite friendly and just wanted to be petted for a bit.  I tried to get a pic but we had to head out and I missed my opportunity.

We responded to an accident where a young teen driver had rear ended a vehicle.   She was really nervous and clueless!  So much so that she almost caused another accident while leaving the accident scene after being released by Deputy Becker.  Lucky for her, her father was behind us and didn't see her almost have a second accident.  Looked like she would be getting in to enough trouble for the first accident (Dad was NOT happy!).  She certainly didn't need a second to fuel his fire.  She managed to contain herself long enough to not cry at the scene.

Another traffic stop was for expired tags.   I didn't know it was a $300+ ticket in Johnson County! Guess I have even more incentive to break that bad habit!   Not sure how many times I've been pulled over for that and not had to pay a fine.  Damn, I've been lucky!!!   Might be a good idea to quit pressing my luck with that...  Deputy Becker asked when I expire this year.  Uh oh...  Doesn't she know I already have enough trouble avoiding one deputy when I am stupid enough to play that game, I don't need two to avoid!  Probably should get it taken care of early this year just in case... 

FYI...when stopping for food or a bathroom break hit the bathroom first!   Almost didn't get to use the facilities when I really needed to because I ordered my food first.  Got a call and I had to ask if there was time to hit the restroom because I really needed to go!   Oops!  It wasn't a hot call so Deputy Becker let me use the restroom while she grabbed our lunch.   We ended up finding a park later to eat at between calls.

Dogs must be attracted to Deputy Becker.   Another dog wanted all kinds of attention from her when she was trying to clear a house alarm call.   He was a friendly pooch and returned promptly to his owner when called.   That neighbor then came over and we chatted while waiting for Deputy Becker to finish up.   He was glad to see the Sheriff's Office in the neighborhood.   Said he feels better about the neighborhood when they patrol it. 

I never thought I would say these words to an officer..."Quit being so damn nice!".  It took us forever to get out of QT because Deputy Becker was being friendly and chatting with everyone.   She said at one point that she gets stopped a lot to chat with people so I couldn't resist making the too damn nice comment.  She is actually very friendly & professional which is why I requested to ride with her again.   I enjoyed both ride alongs even if they weren't the most exciting in terms of activity.

Speaking of exciting...the check engine light came on and I quickly said it wasn't my fault.   It went off a few minutes later with no harm done.   Whew, can't imagine how that would have looked if another patrol car went up in smoke with me in it!   I might have become the first person from the Citizens Academy to be banned from doing ride alongs!   I haven't done the overnight shift yet so for my sake I was glad it turned out to be nothing.

I must have looked bored because during one call for service Deputy Becker said to feel free to play with the buttons in the car while she and a detective were inside a residence and I was left unsupervised in the patrol car.  She meant the radio buttons and I behaved for the most part.   I didn't cause any harm so no foul right? :)

A few stops were made for stop sign violations and a couple speeders including one woman who almost rear ended us.   She was having a medical issue.   Deputy Becker had her get out of the car to determine if she was safe to drive.   She was let go with just a warning after it was determined she was safe to drive (she was heading just up the street from where she was pulled over).

No arrests today but that's okay.   I picked up a few tips about how to not get pulled over and even one excuse I might have to try next time I get pulled over!  :)   I know it didn't seem like I was paying attention but I was.  I probably shouldn't say that since I'm sure that wasn't Deputy Becker's intention but she did laugh at my stories and admission to being a cop magnet!   Today was a busier shift than my first ride along.   No patrol cars or cones were harmed during this ride along... Would like to do at least one more.   Haven't done the overnight shift yet so that will be my next request.

Thank you to Deputy Becker for putting up with me again today!

Thank you! - JCSO Citizen's Academy

From Class 30...

30th Citizen's Academy - Feb-May 2012

 

Thank You Johnson County Sheriff's Office for putting on a great Citizen's Academy!!! 

Week 12 - Graduation - JCSO Citizen's Academy

Week 12 - Graduation!

It's Week 12 and that means our time with the Johnson County Sheriff's Office Citizen's Academy is done. It went so fast! I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did!!!

We were greeted by a room full of people, all of which were involved in the academy in one way or another. A nice spread for dinner was provided and then the Award Ceremony began. I think I speak for most of the class when I say we had no idea we were going to be receiving awards and such nice certificates for attending the academy. A simple "Thank You for Attending" would have been plenty but the Certificates and Awards were a very nice touch! 

Sheriff Denning addressing the class before the awards ceremony.

 

Rita Jones, Executive Assistant to Sheriff Frank Denning, speaking to the class about volunteer opportunities with the Sheriff's Office.

A few Awards were presented.... "Top Shot"... Best Shot on Range, "Top Gun"... Fastest Qualifying Time on EVOC course, and "Cone Killer"... Smashed most cones on EVOC qualifying run.

"Top Shot" Award for marksmanship on Range day. Congratulations Bill!
(I apologize for not paying attention and getting a picture of you when the award was presented!)

"Top Gun"... Fastest Qualifying Time on EVOC course. Congratulations Derek!

Me! I realize my name is nowhere to be found in my blog soo... Kathi aka "Cone Killer". I earned a few other nicknames throughout the academy but we'll omit those for now! :)

My "Cone Killer" Award!

Graduation Ceremony. All participants received a certificate in a frame with the Sheriff's Office Patrol Patch and Class Picture. We also received a nice pen engraved with our name on it and Sheriff's Office printed on it (Thank you Shakil Haider for engraving the pens. That was a nice touch!) and a nice ceramic coffee cup with Sheriff's Office logo/name on it.

Paul Akin

Doug Bridwell

Bill Capstack

Jason Carter

Kimberly Davis

Dave Deucher

Derek Eveland

Shakil Haider

Greg Hernandez

Kim Jensen

Bill McBride

Kathi McKinley

Angelo Mino

Paula

Gary Seesing

Terry Stove

Jennifer Stove

Jeff Wilson

 

Class in session... last night of academy - May 15, 2012.

Range Day - JCSO Citizen's Academy

Our class got to spend Saturday morning May 12, 2012 at the Range with Firearms Instructors from JCSO.  The Range at JCSO was not available so Kansas Highway Patrol opened their Range for our use.  I wasn't able to attend due to a previous engagement but will be participating with the next class.  I hear it was a blast and Bill was kind enough to share pictures.

Pictures of the demonstration:

Pictures of our class firing away at their target:

Congratulations to Bill McBride for being the "Top Shot!"

 Sounds like I missed a good time and definitely need to attend with the next class!