Mesquite News > News
Citizens Police Academy begins new class
By Kenny Green, Staff Writer
As the 24th class of the Citizens Police Academy welcomes a new class, Chief Derek Rohde describes the program as “An opportunity for members of the community we serve to get a closer look at how the police department operates.”
The current class contains 30 people and is the largest ever since the program was first offered by the Mesquite Police Department in 1997.
“The department usually limits the class to 18 people, but over the last two years there has been a real surge in interest, so we did not want to turn people away,” said police spokesman Lt. Bill Hedgpeth. “The good thing is they can be as little or heavily involved as they want.”
To take part in the class an individual must meet the qualifications set up by the department. The applicant must be at least 18 years old, have no felonies and must have a connection to the city either by residency or work. If an individual wants to drive a vehicle, a good driving record will become part of the qualification process.
“By attending the classes they will have a better understanding of what the police department can and can not do,” said Barbara Dunn, president of the Mesquite Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association. “It really helps you understand the constraints of the department.”
Classes begin with an introduction to the police department, including a welcome from the chief. Attendees then are shown a slideshow with information about the department and then given a tour of the facilities.
During the remaining weeks, the students are put through various lecture and hands-on activities that showcase various aspects of law enforcement.
“These classes give officers a chance to interact with citizens that are not in crisis and their enthusiasm means a lot to the officers,” Hedgpeth said.
Upon completion of the class, graduates attend a ceremony that is attended by family and friends. At this point they have the opportunity to join the Mesquite Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association.
The academy has become interwoven into the Mesquite Police Department by performing many volunteer duties that save the taxpayers money and provide the police department with added support from the community.
One of the activities is the alumni association plate scan vehicle. The vehicle uses cameras to photograph license plates and has recovered 14 stolen vehicles since being put into service June 6.
Another area of support is by manning the Skywatch Tower. Currently the department has one unit in service, but the city council recently approved using confiscated funds to purchase a second unit. These towers are able to provide the police department with a set of eyes at events that can see over the traffic and crowds.
Association members also are responsible for operating and coordinating the Child ID programs and entering fingerprints into the database at the police station. Other duties include acting as an expeditor for police reports and performing cold case follow-ups.
“I work the cold case desk and try and getting more information on burglary and theft cases, solving some of these cases is the greatest thing. It is just wonderful,” Dunn said.
“It is really citizens helping citizens,” Dunn said.
Rohde agrees.
“We value the input we receive from class participants and also appreciate the many graduates who become regular volunteers for the police department in a variety of different programs,” he said.
The association must be doing something right as they almost completed a sweep of the state awards at the Texas Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association convention earlier this summer. The association brought home three awards. The MCPAAA won association of the year, LeeAnn Winkler won alumni member of the year, and Don Williams was named officer of the year.
“Next year we are going to win the fourth by increasing our membership,” Dunn said.
The alumni association currently has 82 members but hopes to continue to grow in numbers and support year after year.
“You can’t put a dollar amount on the amount of goodwill performed by these citizens,” said Hedgpeth.
To comment on this story visit www.scntx.com or email Kenny Green at kgreen@acnpapers.com.
The current class contains 30 people and is the largest ever since the program was first offered by the Mesquite Police Department in 1997.
“The department usually limits the class to 18 people, but over the last two years there has been a real surge in interest, so we did not want to turn people away,” said police spokesman Lt. Bill Hedgpeth. “The good thing is they can be as little or heavily involved as they want.”
To take part in the class an individual must meet the qualifications set up by the department. The applicant must be at least 18 years old, have no felonies and must have a connection to the city either by residency or work. If an individual wants to drive a vehicle, a good driving record will become part of the qualification process.
“By attending the classes they will have a better understanding of what the police department can and can not do,” said Barbara Dunn, president of the Mesquite Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association. “It really helps you understand the constraints of the department.”
Classes begin with an introduction to the police department, including a welcome from the chief. Attendees then are shown a slideshow with information about the department and then given a tour of the facilities.
During the remaining weeks, the students are put through various lecture and hands-on activities that showcase various aspects of law enforcement.
“These classes give officers a chance to interact with citizens that are not in crisis and their enthusiasm means a lot to the officers,” Hedgpeth said.
Upon completion of the class, graduates attend a ceremony that is attended by family and friends. At this point they have the opportunity to join the Mesquite Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association.
The academy has become interwoven into the Mesquite Police Department by performing many volunteer duties that save the taxpayers money and provide the police department with added support from the community.
One of the activities is the alumni association plate scan vehicle. The vehicle uses cameras to photograph license plates and has recovered 14 stolen vehicles since being put into service June 6.
Another area of support is by manning the Skywatch Tower. Currently the department has one unit in service, but the city council recently approved using confiscated funds to purchase a second unit. These towers are able to provide the police department with a set of eyes at events that can see over the traffic and crowds.
Association members also are responsible for operating and coordinating the Child ID programs and entering fingerprints into the database at the police station. Other duties include acting as an expeditor for police reports and performing cold case follow-ups.
“I work the cold case desk and try and getting more information on burglary and theft cases, solving some of these cases is the greatest thing. It is just wonderful,” Dunn said.
“It is really citizens helping citizens,” Dunn said.
Rohde agrees.
“We value the input we receive from class participants and also appreciate the many graduates who become regular volunteers for the police department in a variety of different programs,” he said.
The association must be doing something right as they almost completed a sweep of the state awards at the Texas Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association convention earlier this summer. The association brought home three awards. The MCPAAA won association of the year, LeeAnn Winkler won alumni member of the year, and Don Williams was named officer of the year.
“Next year we are going to win the fourth by increasing our membership,” Dunn said.
The alumni association currently has 82 members but hopes to continue to grow in numbers and support year after year.
“You can’t put a dollar amount on the amount of goodwill performed by these citizens,” said Hedgpeth.
To comment on this story visit www.scntx.com or email Kenny Green at kgreen@acnpapers.com.
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