Diversity, Inclusion, and Indigenous Relations Section : Citizens' Police Academy | Love Who You Want | FAQs

Citizens' Police Academy

The Citizens' Police Academy is a Vancouver Police Department outreach program geared towards community leaders. The aim of this program is to:

• provide community leaders with a deeper understanding of the multitude of problems, policies, and complex tasks police officers face each day
  
  
• increase community confidence in the VPD
  
  
• build a stronger partnership between the community and the Vancouver Police Department

A typical class includes persons from various ethnic communities, religious denominations, criminal justice departments, the Vancouver Police Board, advocacy or advisory groups, and business, political, and social agencies.

Class Information

Two classes are offered per year, one in the spring and the other in the fall. The program consists of classroom discussions and off-site activities.

Classroom lectures may include presentations from the following sections:

• Gangs, Drugs, Robbery, and Homicide
• Emergency Response Team and Public Safety / Public Order Unit
• Force Options Training Unit
• Forensic Services Section
• Canine Unit
• Recruiting
• Collision Investigation Unit
• Negotiators

Off-site engagement can include:

• a tour of the stables by the Mounted Unit at Stanley Park
• a tour and boating with the Marine Unit
• a tour of a mock grow-operation at National Yards
• a trial of the P.O.P.A.T. (Police Officers Physical Aptitude Test) in the gym
• force options training in the gym
• firearms training/shooting at the new VPD range
• a street demonstration of a police dog in action
• a tour of the Forensic Identification facility

CPA Instructors

The instructors are police members and personnel from the Vancouver Police Department who are trained and experienced in the subjects they teach. Their stories and opinions give the participants a broader perspective on policing.

CPA Selection Process

Participants are selected to reflect the broadest possible range of individuals who have significant roles within the communities. Efforts are also made to obtain a diverse class based on age, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic or religious backgrounds.

All candidates must undergo a background check and sign a waiver of liability.