Twice a year, 25 residents of the city of Westminster, Colorado (101,000), enroll in the police department’s citizens academy. During 12 three-hour weekly sessions, the students learn about the activities of every division in the department, including communications, dispatch, investigations, and forensics. Students participate in field trips, such as accompanying police officers on building searches and riding in police cars to make traffic stops. They can even put on a protective suit and be bitten by a police dog. Students and instructors celebrate the end of classes with a formal graduation dinner, and academy graduates are invited to join the alumni association. The department hosts special events for these alumni, including the opportunity to shoot specialized weapons with the SWAT team. Many alumni volunteer with the department, patrolling neighborhoods to look for suspicious activity or helping with data entry. Costs for the program are minimal and attendance rates are high. Investigator Tim Torres Westminster Police Department 9110 Yates Street Westminster, CO 80031 303/430-2400 Ext. 4421 Fax: 303/487-4382 E-mail: ttorres@ci.westminster.co.us