Director of Student Involvement and Leadership Development Jill Zambito learns what it’s like to conduct a traffic stop with help from NIU Police Officer David Jadran during the 2016 Citizens Police Academy.
What are standard protocols for police officers during traffic stops? How do evidence technicians process a crime scene? What’s it like to be incarcerated at the DeKalb County Jail?
Those who participate in the Northern Illinois University Department of Police and Public Safety (NIU PD) Citizens Police Academy will learn the answers to these questions and more.
The Citizens Police Academy is part of the NIU PD’s expansion of community-based efforts under the leadership of Chief Thomas Phillips. The 11-week program was started last spring to build positive relationships and open the lines of communication between the community and the police department. The academy is free and open to all members of the NIU community.
The academy will meet from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays from Jan. 25 through April 12. The registration deadline for the first week has passed, but there is still an opportunity to sign up for the remainder of the academy.
Each week, the academy will address different topics:
- Week One: Introduction and police dispatch operations
- Week Two: Criminal law
- Week Three: DeKalb County Sherriff’s Office, including jail tour
- Week Four: Traffic law/DUI
- Week Five: Use of force/Less than lethal force
- Week Six: Criminal investigations
- Week Seven: EMT/Paramedic training
- Week Eight: Evidence collection
- Week Nine: Building searches
- Week Ten: Mock trial
- Week Eleven: Graduation
If you are interested in learning more about the NIU PD Citizens Police Academy please contact the department at niupd@niu.edu.
