Virginia Tech's Police Academy offers inside look at police operations
Through Virginia Tech Police's faculty and staff Police Academy, the department takes a proactive approach to crime prevention and building relationships with the people they serve.
The academy, a series of eight classes offered each summer to faculty and staff, increases the awareness and safety skills among participants with a ‘behind the scenes’ look at how the Virginia Tech Police operates.
Class topics include crime scene investigation, police vehicle operation and traffic stops, police K-9, and SWAT demonstrations, alcohol awareness, officer survival, violence prevention, and the police range.
“We actually used our new skills to conduct our own investigation of a mock crime scene. It’s not as easy as you think,” said Mike Dunn, Virginia Tech’s transportation and planning engineer. Dunn was a Police Academy participant in summer 2011.
After successfully operating the student police academy since 2004, the academy was launched in summer 2010. Since then, approximately 75 employees have completed the program and the Department of Human Resources has approved the classes to be taken on university time, with a supervisor's approval.
“A program like this opens up the communication lines with the people we serve and it strengthens our community,” said Virginia Tech Police Chief Wendell Flinchum.
Amanda Quesenberry, records management assistant, completed the program with a new excitement about the police department. “It was such a fun hands-on experience,” said Quesenberry, “How many times do you actually get [the opportunity] to drive a police car?”
Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 240 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 31,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $513 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.
