Next session will include interpreter for deaf and audio recordings for blind participants.

The Cincinnati Police Department is accepting applications for the next session of its Citizens Police Academy, which begins March 28.  The Hearing, Speech and Deaf Center of Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and the Clovernook Center have partnered with Police Academy staff to adapt the presentation format for deaf and blind participants.  Each class session will include an interpreter for the deaf, and audiotapes of the classes will be provided for blind participants.  Classes meet for approximately three hours on eight consecutive Wednesdays at the Police Academy, 800 Evans Street.  The first session March 28 will start at 5:30 p.m.; subsequent sessions will begin at 6:00 p.m.  Persons interested in attending this Citizens Police Academy can obtain an application and more information by calling the Police Academy at 357-7554.   

The course provides an overview of the training police officers receive and the functions they perform.  Topics covered include law enforcement issues and police procedures in such areas as laws of arrest; community problem oriented policing (CPOP); internal investigations; use of force; drug law enforcement; gangs; and personal safety.  Participants get information on firearms safety, tour police facilities, and have the opportunity to do a ride-along with a police officer.  Since the Cincinnati Police Department began offering the Citizens Police Academy in 1994, more than 1000 people have completed the program. 

Contact:    Captain Paul Broxterman, Police Academy Commander, at 352-3562.