Gilroy
– Residents who are curious – or skeptical – about the city’s
police department will soon be able to learn what it takes to be an
officer.
Now through November, the Gilroy Police Department is accepting
applications for its Citizen Police Academy, a 14-week program
intended to give residents an inside look at the department’s
day-to-day functions.
Gilroy – Residents who are curious – or skeptical – about the city’s police department will soon be able to learn what it takes to be an officer.
Now through November, the Gilroy Police Department is accepting applications for its Citizen Police Academy, a 14-week program intended to give residents an inside look at the department’s day-to-day functions.
“Not everyone always understands how the police department works and why officers handle things the way they do,” said Maribel Gutierrez, community service officer and organizer of the academy. “But when they come in and actually interact with officers, they get a different view.”
The program, free to residents, will run from 6 to 9pm every Tuesday beginning March 8. Topics include narcotic enforcement, patrol procedures, gang intervention and firearms safety.
Classes are taught by Gilroy police officers, and students will talk with Police Chief Gregg Giusiana and other police department staff.
In addition to the classes, students are required to go on an hour-long ride-along with a patrol officer, Gutierrez said. Near the end of the course, the class will take a field trip to a firearms range where range staff will demonstrate different weapons the police department uses. Students will learn firearms safety and get hands-on experience with department-issued weapons, Gutierrez said.
Upon completing the academy, students will attend a graduation ceremony and receive a certificate from Giusiana. Graduates then are invited to participate with department on a volunteer basis, assisting in a variety of mediums such as traffic control and vehicle abatement, Gutierrez said.
Gutierrez said this is her second year organizing the citizens academy and the department’s seventh year running the program. About half of last year’s 18 students went on to volunteer with the department, she said.
“From what I’ve seen, and based on a lot of the feedback I got last year from the people who went on to volunteer, the program has been very beneficial,” Gutierrez said. “People are in the class for different reasons, but I think they all come away with something different.”
Gutierrez said last year’s program saw a broad range of ages and a nearly equal mix of men and women.
Gutierrez said she thinks Gilroy enjoys a positive relationship between its police department and residents, but there’s always room for improvement.
“A lot of people come into the program viewing the department and officers maybe not so positively,” she said. “This is a chance to get a better look into what exactly each unit does.”
Captain Richard Vasquez of Hollister’s police department said breaking the ice and opening accessibility between police officers and residents was exactly the aim of that city’s citizens police academy, which launched in 1998. The program ran biannually – in March and September – but was put on hold last year due to staffing limitations.
Vasquez said he hopes the department is able to bring back the program next September with the hiring of a new community service officer.
“I miss it,” Vasquez said. “I miss the fact that you get to see new people, because in this line of work, you don’t always see people in the most pleasant surroundings. It’s a great program. I think any community is lucky to have it.”
Graduates of Hollister’s citizens police academy often hold potluck dinners and other get-togethers long after they’re finished with the course, Vasquez said.
The Hollister department also brought in California High Patrol officers and fireighters to teach special sessions, Vasquez said, and a kids program was organized during summers.
Gilroy’s police department also offers Police Explorers, a program aimed at educating youth 14 to 20 years old about possible careers in law enforcement. Donned in a purchased Police Explorers uniform, participants attend monthly meetings, go on ride-alongs and learn about police records, crime analysis and communication within the department.
Candidates must:
• Be at least 18 years old.
• Live or work within Gilroy.
• Have no prior felony convictions.
• Have no misdemeanor arrests within one year of applying.
• Be fingerprinted.
• Go through a background check.
Chief Gregg Guisiana will make final selections
For more information, call Maribel Gutierrez at 846-0523.
