Community Police Academy

Get an up close and personal look at police work with Overland Park Police Department’s Community Police Academy.

This program educates residents about the basics of the police profession. With this knowledge, residents can return to their neighborhoods and improve the relationship between the community and the police department.

2024 Academy

The Community Police Academy will start on September 13 at Sanders Justice Center, 12400 Foster. The class will meet every Saturday from 9 a.m.-noon.

Applications for the 2024 Community Police Academy open in August 2024.

Curriculum

The academy is a nine-week-long program.

You will learn about

• department operations,
• criminal investigations,
• crime scene investigations,
• communications,
• traffic enforcement,
• firearms training,
• use of force, and more.

The academy is not an accredited certification course and is not meant for police officer candidates.

Eligibility

Applicants must be 18 years old and may not have a criminal record. Overland Park conducts criminal history background checks on all applicants.  

Due to limited class sizes, if you are selected to attend, you will be expected to participate in at least eight of the nine sessions. If you are not able to participate in at least eight sessions, please contact me so we can talk about your situation.

We do allow civilians in the metro area to attend the academy. Overland Park residents have priority.

There is no fee charged for the Community Police Academy. Our officers and personnel teaching in the academy provide their services and expertise to the members of the class as part of the program.