The 2024 Spring Class is closed. Information about the 2024 Fall Session will be coming soon.

The Community Police Academy (CPA) is a fourteen-week program designed to give the public a working knowledge of the Austin Police Department. Each session consists of weekly classes that meet at a designated location. The class curriculum is comprehensive, and each week different units within the department are covered.

The slogan of the Community Police Academy is, “Understanding through Education.” The goal is to educate the public about the Austin Police Department and to increase the rapport between community members and police officers.

We hope the graduates of the Community Police Academy complete the program with a better understanding of the Austin Police Department, and will encourage others to participate in this rewarding program.

As of December 2023, 2,756 community members have graduated from 102 classes. The CPA has a fall and spring session each year. Please click on the CPA Session Information below for FAQ’s, the upcoming CPA class, the application process, and more.

List of CPA Disqualifiers

CPA Session Information

 

Class Curriculum

  • Meet the Chief
  • History of Policing in Austin
  • Perspectives of Racial Profiling
  • History of Racial Divides in Austin
  • Recruiting
  • APD Cadet Training
  • Internal Affairs
  • Special Investigative Unit/ Office of Police Oversight
  • District Representatives
  • Emergency Communications
  • Public Information
  • Response to Resistance
  • Crisis Intervention
  • Critical Incidents
  • Domestic Violence
  • Sex Crimes
  • Gang Unit
  • Human Trafficking
  • Bomb Squad
  • K-9
  • S.W.A.T
  • Air Support
  • Burglary
  • Robbery
  • Homicide
  • Cold Case
  • Austin Regional Intelligence Center (ARIC)
  • Tactical Intelligence
  • Mounted Patrol
  • Animal Cruelty
  • Police Activities League (PAL)
  • Force Review Unit