On Tuesday, July 9, 2024, the Rochester Police Department graduated the participants of our 10th annual Citizen’s Police Academy. Through presentations by department employees, hands-on training, sit-ins with dispatch, and ride-alongs with police officers, the recent graduates were exposed to the many facets of the Rochester Police Department over the 11-week program.

The Citizen’s Police Academy is a program designed to acquaint individuals who are not sworn police officers with the activities of their local police department. The graduates got a chance to see what police officers, detectives, and prosecutors in Rochester do on a day-to-day basis. This included learning about the different divisions and specialty units, such as forensics, SWAT, accident reconstruction, K9, and several other various topics.

This program is intended to open the lines of communication between the community and the police department. By allowing citizens a firsthand look at the rules, regulations, and policies the police follow, it provides them with a better understanding of police work and the Rochester Police Department. The objective of the Citizen’s Police Academy is to produce informed citizens and create improved relationships with the community and its citizens.

The citizens and police officers meet each other face-to-face in a neutral, friendly setting, and each becomes a person to the other. In the past, citizens have simply seen a uniform; now they have an understanding of the person behind the badge. This is a very rewarding program for both the citizens and the Rochester Police Department. The Rochester Police Department is looking forward to the next academy, which will begin sometime in the spring of 2025. Please reach out to Captain Jeremy F. Aucoin for more information at jeremy.aucoin@rochesternh.gov.