1st Graduating class of the City of Jennings Citizens Police Academy
Session 1: Class convened at the St. Louis County and Municipal Police Academy. Topics discussed were department overview/structure and a tour of the Academy itself. Citizens were given a tour of the facility and given examples of what challenges police recruits face on a daily basis.
Session 2: Citizens were give a tour of St. Louis County Jail by Corrections Staff and a tour of St. Louis County Family Courts/Detention Center.
Session 3: Citizens convened at Gary Gore Education Center in Jennings where St. Louis County Police Tactical Operations and K9 Units gave a presentation and explained the daily functions of their assignments.
Session 4: Citizens convened at the St. Louis County Police Crime Laboratory in Clayton, MO where Lt. Dana Fulton gave a tour of the facility and explained the daily functions of Lab staff. Lt. Fulton explained the evolution of DNA evidence and it's effects on criminal investigations today.
Session 5: Lt. Craig Longworth, Commander of the Homicide/Robbery division, met with citizens at the Academy and explained the functions/duties of his unit and Detectives. Lt. Longworth held an extensive Q/A session for the citizens which provided a unique eye opener on the challenges his detectives face everyday.
Session 6: Citizens convened at the Academy one last time and had the opportunity to participate with the latest high tech equipment/simulator the police department recently acquired known as VirTra. Citizens were able to take on the role as police officers during an inter-active 300 degrees scenario that entailed dual screens. Citizens were challenged with life and death situations that included ambushes, active shooters, and situational awareness. This equipment is a great tool moving forward for active officers, police recruits, and future officers of this department. The evening culminated with the 1st ever graduation for all of our Jennings Citizens who attended the six week session. They were given certificates for their accomplishment. We graduated 15 citizens, who now have the unique opportunity to continue volunteer work with the SLCPD and become members of the Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association (CPAAA).