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Citizens Police Academy
Date: Saturday's ONLY from September 17, 2022 - November 5, 2022
Time: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Location: Pismo Beach Police Department, 1000 Bello Street, Pismo Beach, CA
Citizens Police Academy Enrollment Form
Signing Up
Candidates must be at least 18 years old, have no prior felony convictions, and no serious misdemeanor arrests within one year of application. Participants must complete and submit the Citizens Police Academy Enrollment Form. Academy participants are selected by the Chief of Police from all applications received. Enrollment is limited to approximately 25 students per academy which is held annually. The academy is offered free of charge.
Goals of the Academy
The South County Citizens Police Academy is designed to give its participants a working knowledge of police department personnel and procedures. During the 8-week academy, students will be introduced to community oriented policing, patrol procedures, dispatch communications, investigations, criminal justice systems, traffic control and records systems. The academy is designed to generate interest and prepare the participant to become a police volunteer. The class is a prerequisite for any applicants who wish to participate in the Police Volunteer program. The class is not designed to make the participant a police officer.
Class Setting
Academy classes are taught in a classroom setting by Police Department executives and veteran officers. Participants are encouraged to ask questions and discuss topics with each other and police department employees during the course of instruction.
For questions about enrolling in the Police Citizens Academy, contact Sergeant Jason Spears at (805) 596-5419 or email jspears@pismobeach.org.
Police Volunteers
The Police Volunteers are a team of citizens who have completed the Citizens Police Academy and have an interest in contributing to law enforcement and the community. Volunteers give law enforcement officers the opportunity to reduce crime and increase law enforcement services in a variety of ways including neighborhood patrol, vacation house checks, traffic control, courier services, emergency call-outs, clerical assistance, and many other services. Patrol volunteers do not take enforcement action, carry weapons or make arrests. They are assigned in two-person teams to patrol in a marked police volunteer vehicle and communicate via police radio.