Citizen’s Police Academy returns

WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — The Warner Robins Police Department is once again giving the community a glimpse into the inner workings of the organization, bringing back their Citizen’s Police Academy at the end of the month.

Over the course of a few months, the classes give the public an opportunity to learn multiple aspects of law enforcement, a look at various departments within the agency, along with the chance to train like police officers do and ride along with patrol officers while on duty.

Similarly to previous offerings, the class will take place once a week, and spread out over 12 weeks, presenters from each division will share insights into a career in law enforcement.

According to Officer Greg Martin, the class gives crucial insights into police decision making processes, educating the public along the way and helping foster ongoing transparency towards the public.

Martin also said a class like this also helps build a bridge between the police and the community.

“This is a bond building type deal between the police and the general public, just to let them know that we’re there for them … There’s a whole lot of moving parts and a whole lot of moving pieces that go into being a law enforcement agency. So, we just want people to know what those pieces are and how they fit together and what we’re doing to help benefit and serve them,” Martin said.

In turn, this helps the police department’s mission to serve the community.

“We want people to know that they can call us and that we’re gonna handle business and we’re gonna do it right and that they don’t have anything to worry about,” Martin said.

Overall, for those who are curious about how it all works, Martin said this is a great option, straight from the source.

“If you want a better understanding of how law enforcement works, then come through the Citizen’s Police Academy. We will explain to you what we deal with, how we deal with it and why we deal with it, so that you can understand when you see things, why things were handled the way they were handled,” Martin said. “You’ll have firsthand knowledge as to why and not, you know, getting it off I.Smell.Bacon or something like that.”

The classes are free to attend and open to anyone 18 years and older. The Citizen’s Police Academy will be held on Thursday evenings from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., starting on Aug. 31 and spanning until Nov. 16. Classes take place at the police department, located at 100 Watson Boulevard.

To register, visit wrga.gov/613/Community-Events, and click the sign-up link.

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