Have you ever had a Fort Smith police cruiser pass by, lights flashing and screaming siren, and was curious what it would be like to be a police officer? Or passed the police department, at 110 South 10th Street in Fort Smith, and wondered what the inside looks like, and what activities take place there?
If you answered yes, then you may be a candidate for the Fort Smith Citizens Police Academy (FSCPA). The primary goal of the Academy is to foster cooperation between community residents and dedicated department members. The Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association plays a vital role in this effort. Comprising former FSCPA students, they provide invaluable support and help in promoting a positive image of the Fort Smith Police Department throughout the city.
The FSCPA is an eleven-week program offered twice annually that provides community members an inside look at the operations of the FSPD. Each week participants interact with various police divisions and the officers working within them. Through classroom sessions and hands-on real-world experiences, participants learn the inner workings of the police department. Last November, the FSPD graduated its 50th Citizens Police Academy (CPA) class.
The fall ‘23 program covered an array of police divisions. One session discussed the Communications Unit. The Communications officers, which operate 911 calls, provided a detailed description of that unit’s tasks. How operators receive police and fire calls to determine appropriate distribution and escalation. CPA members listened to recorded 911 calls that have come in over the years. Later, they were allowed to sit-in with operators during live 911 calls.
Another segment covered Patrol Special Operations. This specialized unit includes the force’s Motorcycle, Bicycle, and Crisis Intervention Units. Fort Smith’s police were the first department in Arkansas to form a Crisis Intervention Unit to address mental, drug, and alcohol challenges in our community.
The program related to the Use of Force Policy describes how officers train utilizing a Use of Force Simulator (UFS). They learn to use the facts they have in the moment to respond in a police situation, following the Response to Resistance Policy. The UFS has a giant screen that projects different possible scenarios police officers encounter, from a suspiciously behaving citizen on the street, to an armed, active shooter. This life-sized interactive video simulates potential life-threatening situations where officers learn to make split-second decisions.
Ashlie Ross was a member of the 50th Class. When it was her turn to experience the UFS, the scenario featured a breaking and entering situation. She was given a weighted fake gun for the exercise that she kept holstered, as an officer would, until the situation warranted its withdrawal.
As she approached the screen, she encountered a suspicious young man. From the classroom she recalled how officers were encouraged to interact with a suspect, so she asked the suspect to show his hands. He angrily responded, asking why should he show her his hands, adding he had not done anything. She repeated her request and he continued to display an uncooperative bad attitude. Suddenly, the suspect reached for an object. The man could have pulled his hands up with a firearm, a cell phone, or empty hands. Ashlie, as police officers are trained to do, responded based on the facts she had. Given his behavior, she determined he was reaching for a gun. She drew her weapon and fired. It turned out he was reaching for a staple gun. Fortunately, Ashlie missed.
Ashlie found the outing to the gun firing range therapeutic. Prior to the FSCPA, she had never held a gun and now she was firing live ammo with a Glock 19 9mm handgun and a Rock River M4 rifle. The same weapons used by the FSPD.
Another eye-opening experience was the police ride-along. Ashlie accompanied an officer for an entire shift. The officer dealt with two people fighting, traffic stops, and a homeless woman lying in the street that people were worried about. Ashlie was impressed by the community-minded approach of the officer, and other police officers she had met throughout the CPA. How proactive they were during encounters, rather than reactive. They genuinely expressed a desire to help people rather than lock them up.
There were many other divisions covered during the Fall ‘23 FSCPA program, including Civilian Response to an Active Shooter, Criminal Investigation Division and Special Investigation Units, Crime Scene Investigation, DWI and Standardized Field Sobriety, Narcotics Investigations, SWAT Unit, K-9 Unit, SWAT Team Demonstration, and Traffic Enforcement.
And last, but certainly not least, there was Pawfficer Fuzz. The FSPD is one of two departments in the US to have a Police Cat they utilize as a Community Relations tool. Pawfficer Fuzz is used to build relationships with the public and encourages conversation. He has received national news attention on the Hallmark Channel, 48 Hours, and in national publications. When they take Pawfficer Fuzz to a school classroom or other public gathering, everyone warms up to him immediately, creating a connection between the police and the public.
Interested in attending the next Citizens Police Academy? Officer Robyn Shoptaw, of the Crime Prevention and Community Relations (who received the 2023 Arkansas Public Safety Solutions Officer of the Year Award from the Arkansas Association of Chiefs of Police), explained that each year the class curriculum is revised to include new and updated material. The FSCPA is one of their key Community Relations Unit programs used to foster cooperation between Fort Smith residents and their dedicated police officers.
The hands-on exercises and classroom activities presented in the FSCPA sessions provide citizens with a new perspective about what the FSPD experiences. Members come away from the classes with a new appreciation for the department and community awareness.
The spring 2024 FSCPA will be held at the end of March, or early April. Interested citizens can watch for the official announcement date and signup for CPA on the police department’s website, fortsmithpd.org. Announcements are also made on the Fort Smith Police Department’s Facebook page. Don’t delay in signing up once the date is announced, as the thirty-member limit usually fills within forty-eight hours.
