CITIZEN POLICE ACADEMY
YOU MAY NOW SUBMIT YOUR CPA APPLICATION "ON-LINE" Click here for the CPA ON-LINE APPLICATION.
The San Antonio Police Department offers several programs for citizen education and involvement, including the popular 11-week Citizen Police Academy (CPA).
BACKGROUND
Introduced in March of 1994, the CPA graduated its first class of 41 members in June, 1994 (Class 94-01). As of December, 2007, there have been over 1800 graduates of the CPA program. Due to such enthusiastic citizen response and interest, CPA classes are offered four times a year, with classes starting in January, April, July and September. Class size is limited to 40 persons. Admission to CPA is open to any San Antonio resident 18 or over, and all applicants are required to pass a thorough background check.
CPA GOALS
The goal of the CPA is to educate San Antonio citizens about the structure and activities of their police department. The CPA class is not a "training" class, but is an exciting "information" class, a behind- the-scenes look as the SAPD. The CPA program operates on the premise that informed and educated citizens will be more supportive of police officers and the department, and will be more productive within their own neighborhoods and communities.
CPA CLASSES
The 11-week CPA course meets one night each week for 3 hours. Classes are held at the San Antonio Police Training Academy on SE Loop 410. Topics covered in the CPA class include overviews of the SAPD organization and structure, information on cadet recruiting and training, introductions to the various divisions of SAPD and their responsibilities (such as Homicide, Traffic, and Narcotics), plus hands-on workshops in areas such as Tactics, Fingerprinting and Firearms Safety.

Instructors are drawn from the Police Academy staff, from officers currently assigned to specific SAPD divisions, and from non-SAPD agencies. CPA class members are also given an opportunity to observe police patrol work through a Ride- Along experience for one 8-hour shift with a district patrol officer. CPA class members are given assignments in small committees to maintain snacks for breaks, to plan the graduation ceremony, and to gather information for photo and signing sessions. At the 11th class meeting, class members participate in a Graduation Ceremony, in which they receive a Certificate of Completion, and an opportunity to join with other graduates in the CPA Alumni Association.
Photos of CPA Classes: Above: SAPD K-9 Unit demonstrates canine training. Below: CPA classmembers learn about SAPD "Blue Eagle" Helicopter Unit.
Photos above courtesy The San Antonio Informer.

CPA GRADUATES

Citizen interest in the CPA program has been overwhelming and applications are increasing weekly. In addition, the graduates of the first CPA class (94-01) formed a Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association (CPAAA), which holds bi-monthly meetings presenting lectures, programs and field trips of interest to CPA graduates. CPA graduates have also been given the opportunity to volunteer for a number of projects within the department, through the Volunteers in Policing Program, including Municipal Court Warrant Drives, Blue Santa, McGruff Crime Prevention Caravans, telephone surveys, Cellular on Patrol classes, and other activities.

View of SAPD Training Academy	FOR INFORMATION
	Contact the Citizen Police Academy Coordinator, (210) 207-6262. Click here to leave E-mail for: CPA Coordinator
APPLYING TO CPA To apply to the CPA, you may submit your CPA Application Form "On-Line": CPA ON-LINE APPLICATION . OR, you may obtain a CPA Application from any SAPD Substation, OR the Application Form (PDF format) may be downloaded here CPA PDF APPLICATION. Print out the form, fill in the blanks, and take or mail it to the CPA Coordinator: SAPD Training Academy, 12200 SE Loop 410, San Antonio, TX, 78221. The CPA Coordinator reviews all applications, conducts a background check on all applicants, and invites successful applicants, by letter, to the next available CPA class.