The Starkville Police Department will hold its first ever police academy, a 10-week class aimed at increasing community relations and transparency, for residents this summer.
The class will meet Thursdays beginning in June and graduate participants early August. A $50 fee is expected for attendees, and residents must be at least 21 years old and pass a background check before they’re admitted. Convicted felons will not be accepted.
SPD Chief Frank Nichols expects the inaugural class to have 20 people.
Aldermen approved the police academy Tuesday on consent, with the stipulation that enrollees sign hold-harmless and indemnification agreements with the city.
Before the board approved the matter, Nichols clarified how the training will not allow residents to have any policing capabilities or certifications.
“Their role will be a normal citizen after they get out of here. They won’t be certified to carry guns, they won’t be allowed to patrol,” he said. “They might get the chance to ride along (with a patrolman) or shadow detectives on a minor case, but they will not be placed in harm’s way.”
After assuming SPD’s leadership position last year, Nichols promised to increase community relations through a number of initiatives, including a series of meetings with residents in respective wards, the opening of police substations and the launching of a police academy that shows how the department works.
Ward meetings were held but low attendance has indefinitely suspended the exercise, Nichols said, and SPD previously opened two substations in north and south Starkville.
‘Create a nucleus of well-informed citizens’
The SPD Citizens Police Academy’s goal is to “create a nucleus of well-informed citizens who possess greater insight into police practices and services,” Nichols proposal states.
The two-hour classes will be held from 6-8 p.m. each week at the police firing range in west Starkville on Greta Lane. Instructors will cover a new topic each week, and Nichols said a preliminary plan includes introductions from command staff, lectures from investigators and an opportunity to learn about the role the city’s dispatchers play.
“This is a way for us to be more transparent, because this is what we do every day. It’s standardized. We’re going to do it in front of you, and we’re still going to do it that same way when you’re not looking,” Nichols said. “I want to give residents a front-row seat … everybody in the population can’t attend these classes, but I want you to be able to walk away and tell 10 people, ‘This is what our officers go through.'”
Based on the interest and success of the program, Nichols said he is optimistic SPD will expand the academy to two offerings per year.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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