Littleton Police Citizen Academy

The Fall 2010 class is full. Call Cmdr. Bruce Beckman at 303-795-3783 for details on participating in future classes.

What Is the Citizen Academy?
The Littleton Police Citizen’s Academy is a series of classes designed to give community members a peek into the inner workings of the Littleton Police Department. A diverse selection of topics is covered in an effort to give attendees an idea of what, why, and how the police operate.

Each topic is taught by Littleton police officers or civilian staff members, each an expert in their field. Each instructor describes the functions of his/her position and is available to answer questions. Some of the classes also include practical exercises.

Participation in demonstrations and exercises is voluntary. Additionally, each participant has a chance to ride along with a patrol officer and spend time in the communications center.

The Citizen Academy meets 6-9:30 p.m. every Thursday, for 11 consecutive weeks. There is no fee. Each session includes dinner, instruction, demonstrations, and hands-on exercises.

What is the goal of the Citizen Academy?
The goal of the Citizen Academy is to promote a better relationship between the police department and the community it serves and to foster a clearer understanding of a police officer's duties, how the officer carries out those duties, and the end results of the officer's actions. The Citizen Academy is not being held to train citizens as police officers or to exercise police authority of any kind.

What will citizens learn?
The instructors are comprised of Littleton police officers and civilian staff members. These instructors will describe the functions of their position and will be available to field any questions that arise from their instruction. The classes will survey the basics of police training and will give an overview of how the police department interfaces with the rest of the criminal justice system.

The Citizen Academy will meet once a week for eleven weeks. These meetings will be held on Thursday evenings from 6 to 9:30 p.m. and will consist of ten weeks of classroom and hands-on exercises. The eleventh week meeting will be a graduation ceremony. Dinner will be served before each class. There is no fee for attending the Citizen Academy. Some of the information packed classes are:

• Officer Survival
• Defensive Tactics
• SWAT
• Victim Assistance
• Crime Scene Investigation
• Use of Force
• Firearms simulator
• Ride-a-long with patrol officer
• Communications Center
• DUI and Traffic Enforcement
• Community Policing
• Drugs and Gangs
• Criminal Law
• Special Enforcement Team

To be eligible to participate in Citizen's Academy, you:

• must be over 16 years of age;
• live or work within the Littleton city limits, or belong to a city-wide service club or organization.

For further information regarding participation in the Citizen's Academy, contact Cmdr. Bruce Beckman at 303-795-3783.

Graduates of the Citizen's Academy are invited to join the Littleton Police Citizen Academy Alumni Association.