An inside look at law enforcement: WRPD to offer citizens courses

WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — If you’ve ever been curious into the inner workings of law enforcement, an upcoming course, courtesy of the Warner Robins Police Department, is hoping to pull back the curtain and give the community a glimpse into the inner workings of the organization.

It’s a course they call the Citizens Police Academy.

Spread out over the course of 12 weeks, the course will give interested citizens the chance to learn about about various aspects of law enforcement and an in-depth look at the everyday functions of various divisions at WRPD.

The class is hands-on and interactive, and will feature traditional presentation-based classes that go into detail as well as field trip classes to various locations that play into department operations, such as the shooting range and the 911 center. Students will also have the chance to ride-along with officers as they go on patrol.

Over the years, Officer Greg Martin has seen response to the class, and says the community comes out for multiple reasons, from interest in law enforcement as a career to obtaining college credit, or just for the experience, but stresses that the class is not a substitute for basic training.

“People can get out of the class, whatever they want to get out of it. The misconception is that people who go through this class will have power of arrest, and become a police officer, because they hear ‘police academy,’ and think ‘I’m going to be an officer,’” Martin explained.

“This is an informative type program that we offer, so that citizens who have questions about what we do and what we handle on a daily basis can come see what we do,” Martin added.

While Martin said the class has seen a recent slump due to the pandemic and negative portrayals of law enforcement, he’s hopeful that the class will see a good turnout and is also hopeful that the class can disprove rumors surrounding law enforcement.

“I know those who have gone through it who have told me that when they’re around folks and they start talking bad about police, they can say ‘wait a minute, this is not how it is; this is what they do,’ and they’ve helped shed light on situations that people don’t have a clue about,” Martin said.

As Martin explained, the class also bridges the gap between law enforcement and the community, giving a better understanding of how the community is protected, calling the course paramount to their outreach.

“What better way to get the community involved, have them come out and see what it’s all about?” Martin asked. “It’s absolutely a positive, in my eyes.”

The classes will start on March 9 and will mostly take place on Thursdays from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the police station. Those who are interested in applying can register by visiting wrga.gov/police, then clicking the community events tab.

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