The La Grange Citizen Police Academy Alumni Associtaion is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization designed to provide community service and raise funds for the La Grange Police Department. These funds are used to purchase needed equipment that may not be included in the city budget. The Association consists of members who have graduated from the Citizen Police Academy.
The Academy was created in order to provide enough information to the citizens that attend so that they may make informed judgments about the police department and police activity. It is hoped that the instruction will increase police awareness whereas to dispel suspicious misconceptions and to increase police community rapport. The department, in turn, becomes more aware of the feeling and concerns of the community om the participant's interactions and input. It is, indeed, a two-way learning experience.
The Academy is a 36hr block of instructions designed to give the public a working knowledge of the department's personnel and policies. It consists of a series of classes, held once a week for three hourse. The instruction is comprehensive, covering a different topic each week. Officers, supervisors, and personnel assigned to that particular division conduct each instructional block. Topics covered include criminal investigation, communications, crime scene search, traffic control, crime prevention, and gang awareness, among others.
This is a community service program of the La Grange Police Department and there is no charge or cost related to attending the Academy.
Graduates of the La Grange Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association are eligible to join the Citizens on Patrol (COP) program. COP members patrol the city to act as an extra set of "eyes and ears" for the police department. Members patrol in a retired police cruiser outfitted with an amber light bar and police radio. COP members do not carry guns or have arrest authority, but they are authorized to write warning and tickets for handicapped parking violations.
The COP also performs services to the community such as helping with crowd and traffic control at various events in the city.
“The police are the public and the public are the police; the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.”
Robert Peel
The Academy consists of twelve weekly classes lasting three (3) hours each. The topics covered are often being updated but some of the classes held in the past include:
Events that the LGCPAAA works on a regular basis include:
In 2013, the group also worked the Fayette County 175th Anniversary Celebration
La Grange CPAAA
Daryl Kinsey: 979-338-9860
La Grange Police Dept
243 S College St.
La Grange, TX 78945
Disclaimer: Information is provided without any warranty, express or implied, including as to their legal effect or completeness.