Austin City Council considering bringing back police department's Citizen Police Academy

KVUE
Author: Eric Pointer
Published: 8:05 AM CST March 9, 2023

AUSTIN, Texas —The Austin City Council is considering bringing back the police department's Citizen Police Academy. The academy stopped during the pandemic and would return as the "Community Police Academy."

The item on the council's Thursday meeting agenda asks the city manager to review the possibility of bringing the 14-week program back. 

The program consists of one class per week, each about four hours long. It teaches people what each Austin Police Department division does and gives the community a chance to interact with officers. 

The goal is for people to get a better understanding of why and how officers do things and what's required of their jobs.

Councilmember Mackenzie Kelly (District 6), who is a sponsor for the resolution, has firsthand experience with the academy. She graduated with the 100th class and said she understands the value it brings to the community. 

"Something that really struck me while I took this class prior to my election was finding out that, a lot of times, the first time someone interacts with the police officers [is] on the worst day of their lives. And that can sometimes cause an incident to go poorly," Kelly said. 

"I'm a firm believer in public education and really giving every opportunity to people in the city of Austin to interact with police officers in a positive way," she added.

Considering recent calls for reform and changes made to the police department since the academy stopped, KVUE asked Kelly if changes would be made to the academy. She said that is a question for the police department. 

"I want to bring it back. And I also understand that, you know, as time goes on, sometimes changes are necessary. But I hope that that's part of the recommendations that come back to us from the city manager's office," Kelly said.

Representatives for the police department said that aside from the name change from the "Citizens Police Academy" to the "Community Police Academy," the academy's potential return is still in the beginning phases. 

Kelly said the council will also ask the city manager about the possibility of providing college credit or some sort of certification for the academy. 

If the resolution is approved Thursday, the city manager will work on the project and present his findings – and hopefully a timeline – for the academy's return.