Public Affairs Director Jon Michaels (since 1977) talks with Sioux Falls Police Information Officer Sam Clemens about the Department from the perspective of his 20 years with the force.

from their website: https://siouxfalls.org/police

CITIZEN POLICE ACADEMY  Police work is something that most people find very interesting. Television, movies, books and the media often cover police related stories, dramatizing the work done each day by the men and women in uniform. Quite naturally this piques the interest of the citizens of Sioux Falls as to what their Police Department does. The CPA is designed to help answer those questions.

CPA is intended to build bridges and relationships between our citizens and the Police Department. Often police and citizens have complex relationship. Citizens often believe that they see police not doing their job or exceeding their boundaries. CPA provides citizens a firsthand look at what rules, regulations and policies the police follow. It also shows them and allows them to do some of the training that their officers go through in order to wear the police uniform. In this way, some of the misunderstanding may be alleviated. CPA is not trying to train citizens into a reserve police force, but merely to build relationships with the community and to dispel any myths they may hold.

Neighborhood Watch

The effort to organize a Watch is usually spearheaded by a few concerned residents, a community organization, a business organization or a law enforcement agency. Anyone who lives or works within the geographical unit or area can join the Watch group. Members learn how to make their homes and neighborhoods more secure, watch out for each other and report illegal or suspicious activities to the police. Neighborhood Watch helps build pride in the neighborhood and often serves as a springboard for efforts to address community concerns such as recreation opportunities for youth, child care, programs for seniors, etc.

Coffee with a Cop

Coffee with a Cop is a national program that is designed to allow for one-on-one conversations between community members and police officers over a cup of coffee. The events occur about six times per year and are relaxed, informal and open discussions about community issues that residents feel are important. There are no radios, cellphones, or other distractions so that the conversation remains relaxed and stress-free. These conversations help us to build trust and work toward mutual goals with community members. We have been holding CWAC sessions is 2015, and we encourage you to check the calendar below for an event near you that you can attend.

Community Resource Officer

The mission of the Community Resource Officers (CRO) is to help resolve community-oriented policing issues and to make connections with the City of Sioux Falls’ diverse community. The CROs work toward this goal in many ways and have several programs that are used to build those community ties. Some of these include the Coffee with a Cop (CWAC), New Immigrant Citizen Education (NICE), the Citizen Police Academy (CPA), Crime Free Multi-Housing (CFMH) and Police Explorer Post 504. These are but a few of the many ways CROs work to accomplish the Sioux Falls Police mission of partnering with the community.

Our Community Resource Officers are:

• Officer Kyle Johnson: (605) 978-6866
• Officer Brady Lieuwen: (605) 978-6786

Explorers Post 504

Law Enforcement Exploring is a worksite-based program offered with the cooperation of the Sioux Falls Police Department and Boy Scouts of America. Young women and men who have completed the eighth grade and are 14 years old, but have not yet reached the age of 21 years, may apply. The Exploring Program offers experimental learning with lots of fun-filled, hands-on activities that promote the growth and development of adolescent youth.

Our members ride with police officers and work many events in support of the police department.

About the Program

Applications will be accepted throughout the year. Since there are usually more applicants than we have openings or budget for, candidates will be interviewed to determine eligibility. Because previous explorers have set a precedent for excellence, and because of whom we represent, we are meticulous during the interview and selection process. New recruits can plan to spend two nights a month for five months learning the procedures and policies that guide our post. This training time culminates with an exam to determine what information the new explorer has retained. While this can be a challenging time, the reward is well worth the effort.

Please fill out the below application. You will be notified regarding an interview date and time.

Officer Shaun Drummond, Explorers Post 504 - 605-367-7212