ISU students and Ames residents can ride along with officers, learn to shoot firearms and investigate crime scenes through courses offered by the Ames and ISU Police Departments.

Citizen police academies teach the public about department policies and procedures and boost community relations by giving participants a chance to work with officers.

“The purpose of this academy is for you to help us do a better job,” said Department of Public Safety Director Jerry Stewart.

Stewart gave an overview of DPS to the ISU Citizen Police Academy participants Thursday night, while others shared their specific roles as officers.

Sgt. Liz Gries is the Police Community Outreach officer and is in charge of the academy.

“The curriculum changes with current issues and is a tool used to familiarize people with officers’ response,” Gries said.

The department’s section on crowd control was included in response to the Veishea incident, she said.

Participants put on riot gear and are taught how to react during a mock mass disturbance.

Information on organizations like the Sexual Assault Response Team and classes about defensive tactics, use of force, interrogations and narcotics give students and faculty the chance to learn how the department operates.

“A large amount of the student population who enroll are interested in becoming an officer,” Gries said. “From a professional level, faculty tend to do it to get an understanding of how the department works with students on campus.”

Training on Tasers, crime scene investigation and patrolling, where class members are allowed to drive a police car, have been favorites and are included on this semester’s schedule, Gries said.

A course similar to the ISU Citizen Police Academy is offered by the Ames Police Department.

“The goal of the academy is to acquaint people with the department,” said Chris Crippen, Community Resource Officer for Ames Police.

Course highlights include instruction from members of the Emergency Response Team, where participants can handle equipment and firearms, a trip to the shooting range and a lesson on traffic stops, she said.

Traffic stop night is always fun because officers play the bad guys and participants have to react, Crippen said.

“It also gives people an idea of what officers have to do in that kind of a stressful situation,” she said.

Tahira Hira, assistant to the president for external relations and executive administration, graduated from the Ames academy last spring and enrolled in Iowa State’s this fall.

Hira said the 2004 Veishea riot had a great impact on her and made her realize she needed to learn more about the city’s and university’s arm of public service.

“I learned so many new things and, more importantly, learned that they are committed to their jobs just as I am,” she said. “The class also helps break the separation I see between students and police.”

Hira said everyone should attend the academies, even if they aren’t interested in becoming an officer.

“Every single person should go,” Hira said.

“We see an opposite view and I think the more we learn about each other, the more we respect and like each other. I look at these people differently now.”

Lisa Judge, senior in sociology, said she enrolled in the Ames academy after hearing about it from her sister and looks forward to firing at the shooting range.

“I want to go into law enforcement and it’s a good way to get a hands-on feel for what they do, to get to know the officers and what they do,” she said.

Both academies are 11-week programs that meet every Thursday. The ISU course is only available to students and faculty and meets at 6:30 p.m. at the Armory. The Ames course is open to all community members and meets at 6 p.m. on the second floor of the City Hall, 515 Clark Ave.

The Ames Citizen’s Police Academy is still accepting members. Applications for future sessions are available at both department locations.