The Georgia Tech Police Department (GTPD) has long been a pillar of the on-campus community, ensuring the safety and well-being of students, faculty and staff. Twice a year, the GTPD offers community members the opportunity to learn more about their work through the Citizen’s Police Academy program. This five-week program is designed to strengthen ties between the on-campus community and the GTPD, with a spotlight on the inner-workings of the department’s crime prevention efforts.
To gain insight into what the Citizen’s Police Academy program offers, we asked ASC’s very own Diana Sutton-Fernández to share her experience of joining the program.
Diana’s Experience with the Citizen’s Police Academy
In her own words, Diana was drawn to participate in the Citizen’s Academy program by “a strong desire to learn more about the inner workings of the GTPD and how they interact with and support our community”. Overall, the experience left her deeply impressed and gave her a comprehensive understanding of not just the GTPD’s operations but also their mission and role in our community.
Prior to joining the program, Diana already had a general appreciation for the GTPD, but the program allowed her to broaden her perspectives on the full extent of their crime prevention efforts. This included learning more about internal aspects of GTPD’s operation such as their rigorous training and advanced forensics. Among the many topics covered by the program, a few that stood out to Diana were the detailed sessions discussing GTPD’s approach to criminal investigations, the simulations they used, the K-9 unit training, and the hands-on firearms training, where officers taught participants how to safely handle firearms. These informative sessions all contributed to a very compelling and informative program.
Moving forward, Diana believes that the lessons offered by the program will allow her to more effectively collaborate with the GTPD and ensure the continued safety of the on-campus community. It is an experience she highly recommends others to join. To close off this article, here is what Diana had to say about the GTPD after completing the five-week Citizen’s Academy program: “Our officers are not just enforcers of the law; they are integral members of our community who are actively engaged in supporting and protecting all of us. Their dedication and commitment are truly commendable.”
We greatly appreciate Diana taking the time to share her experience with us, and we hope that her story can inspire others in the ASC family to participate in the GTPD’s Citizen’s Police Academy!