Citizen Police Academy

A Message From the Police Chief

The Gainesville Police Department sponsors the Citizen Police Academy with the goal of educating the citizens of Gainesville about the operations of the Department.  The Academy was developed with the belief that education is the key to understanding and with understanding comes a more open line of communication.

At the Citizen Police Academy, you will have the opportunity to go behind the scenes to see and hear first hand the tremendous curriculum recruits must master before they can wear the uniform.

Your instructors will be real police officers and operations supervisors. They will take you on an accelerated overview of the various operations of the Police Department.

It’s our goal to increase understanding of police work and to develop effective partnership with the community.

Please join us and be a part of this important effort.

The only investment on your part is three hours a week for 10 weeks. What you’ll learn in turn will not only benefit you, but if shared with family, neighbors, friends and co-workers, could have a significant impact on community/police relations.

What is the Citizen Police Academy?

The Gainesville Police Department Citizen Police Academy is a 30 hour block of instruction designed to give the public a working knowledge of the Gainesville Police Department’s personnel and policies. It consist of a series of classes held once each week for three hours. The instruction is comprehensive, covering a different area of the Police Department each week.