Apply Now to Police Citizen Academy

The Montgomery County Police Department is currently accepting applications for future sessions of the Citizen Academy.  The program is free, but participants must be 18 years of age or older and either live or work in Montgomery County.

Participants who are selected for the program are required to attend 14 of the 18 classes to be eligible for graduation. Some of the topics covered include:  firearm safety, Maryland traffic law, investigating major crimes, drug identification, scams and fraud, prostitution, forensics/crime lab, physical/sexual child abuse, a canine demonstration, DUI/underage drinking, and the procedures of the Emergency Response Team. Academy members also have the option of touring the Montgomery County Detention Center and participating in a ride-along with a police officer.

The first Citizen Academy was held in January of 1994.  It was developed as an extension of the Department’s community policing efforts.  Community members who went through the program came out with a greater awareness of the functions of the police department, the various roles of police officers, and a better understanding of why and how officers do their jobs.

Each year two sessions (spring and fall) of the Citizen Academy are held at the Public Safety Training Academy located at 9710 Great Seneca Highway in Rockville. Classes are offered on Tuesday evenings from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. for 18 consecutive weeks.

The 2014 fall session of the Citizen Academy is scheduled to begin on September 16 and run through February 3. Applications from those wishing to enroll in the fall session must be received by August 15.  Once the fall session is full, all other applications will be held for potential enrollment in future Citizen Academy classes.  The 2015 spring session of the Citizen Academy will begin in March. To learn more about the Citizen Academy or to download an application, please visit our Citizen’s Academy page.