The Elkhart Police Department announces its 2025 Spring Citizens Academy! The Citizens Academy offers community members insight into how police officers perform their law enforcement duties.

The Citizens Academy is a ten (10) week program where citizens attend two and one half hour (2 ½) classes, one night each week. The classes are instructed by Elkhart Police Department personnel who have developed the curriculum, which includes, but is not limited to:

-Narcotics Investigations
-SWAT
-K9
-Defensive Tactics
-Professional Standards
-Crime Scene Investigations, and
-the Emergency 911 Communications Center.

During the academy, participants will receive information and demonstrations on how the different divisions of the police department work. At the end of the academy, participants are encouraged to participate in a ride-along with an on-duty officer to see how everything they have learned can be applied.

The Citizens Academy provides all attendees with basic information to increase their knowledge of how the police department operates on a daily basis. It is also our intent to educate, sometimes entertain, and, most importantly, bring the citizens of our community closer together.

The Citizens Academy is scheduled for Tuesday nights from 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM starting on April 15, 2025 and going through June 17, 2025. Anyone interested in participating in this educational experience must be 18 years old and older and complete an application and release for a criminal history check. Applications available at https://bit.ly/epdCPA2025. The application and release are also available on our website, elkhartpolice.org, under News & Events or at the front desk of the Elkhart Police Department (175 Waterfall Drive, Elkhart, Indiana 46516). Applications will be taken until April 1, 2025, and class size is limited to the first 20 approved applications.

Any questions or please contact Jessica McBrier at 574-389-4701 or [email protected].