Programs
Police Youth Academy

Based on the success of the CitizensAcademy, which is designed for adults, the Livermore Police Department (LPD) developed a YouthPolice Academy. The sixth LPD Youth Police Academy (YPA) will take place during the month of July 2009. (See newspaper article) The YPA is run differently than the Citizens Police Academy, in that the curriculum is more specific for young adults. The YPA is much more "hands-on" in nature and involves more classroom hours than the Citizens Police Academy. The Youth Police Academy is designed with four specific goals in mind:

• To create better understanding and communication between young people and police employees
• To enhance the participants' knowledge about law enforcement and the criminal justice system
• To encourage the participants to discuss their youth academy experiences with their peers
• To introduce the participants to possible career opportunities within the criminal justice system

In addition to striving to reach these goals, the YPA employs team building exercises to promote personal growth and development among the participants. The next Youth Police Academy will take place from 2:30 to 5:30 PM Monday through Thursday from July 1stthrough the 30th. These hours were designed so that those students attending summer school would not be excluded. An added benefit of the YPA will be that each participant will earn five (5) units of high school credit for attending the academy.

Each Youth Academy session will be taught by experts in the field. Most of the instructors will be employees of the Livermore Police Department with some instructors coming from outside the department.

Some of the topics to be covered will be: Criminal Justice System, City Government, Traffic Laws, Juvenile Laws, Date Rape and Teen Domestic Violence, Drug Alcohol, and Tobacco Awareness, Search and Seizure, Laws of Arrest, Gangs, School Violence and Terrorism, Internal Affairs, Ethics, Patrol Procedures, Diversity, Anger Management & Conflict Resolution, Crime Scene Investigation, and Fingerprinting.

Some of the planned events outside the classroom include:

• A field trip to the Pleasanton Courthouse including a conversation with a presiding judge.
• CPR training certifying each participant in adult CPR.
• A "Job Shadow Day" during which each participant is partnered with a different employee at LPD.
• A "Career Development Day" during which job seeking skills will be taught.
• A "Demo Day" during which the participants will observe demonstrations by the SWAT team and K9 Unit. An added feature of the day will be the opportunity to experience a "Shoot/Don't Shoot" simulator used to train LPD officers.

The Youth Police Academy is open to anyone between 14 and 18 years of age. Participants must live or attend school in the City of Livermore, and each participant must pass a limited background investigation. The Youth Academy will be limited to 25 participants a session to ensure the quality of the program. Those interested in attending the LPD Youth Police Academy must complete and application and questionnaire.

Click on the link to download an application and questionairre (PDF file) Applications and questionnaires may also be obtained from the kiosk in the lobby at the Police Department, or by contacting Sgt. John Hurd to have them mailed. All applications should be returned to Sgt. Hurd at the address below. Any questions about the program may also be routed to:

Sgt. Hurd. Sergeant John Hurd
Citizens Police Academy coordinator
Livermore Police Department
1110 S. Livermore Avenue
Livermore, CA 94550
(925) 371-4843
jhurd@ci.livermore.ca.us