Youth Engagement
The Thornton PD Explorer Post is chartered by the Scouts of America and is for students ages 14 to 20 1/2 years old. This program provides young adults who have an interest in law enforcement, dispatch, police records or victim services with a comprehensive program of training, service, and practical experience. Acceptance interviews are held in October. Contact your School Resource Officer for more information.
Tee Time with TPD is for 8th and 9th grade students in the city of Thornton. This program helps participants build positive partnerships with peers, the police and community stakeholders. The five-day program provides different teaching and golfing sessions for participants and ends with a tournament and award ceremony BBQ. The next session will be in June of 2024. Contact your School Resource Officer or the Youth Services Unit for more information.
The TPD Youth Academy is for high school-aged students in the city of Thornton. Students must have a GPA of 2.5. School Resource Officers teach students about the life of a police officer and provide basic police training such as ethics, community involvement, driving, defensive tactics and crime scene investigation. The next academy will be in June of 2024.
Hooked on Fishing Not Drugs is a five-day program for kids ages 11-14. This program encourages kids to resist drugs and violence by spending time on alternative activities. This program is led by School Resource Officers and if offered at two locations in the city of Thornton. The next session will be in June of 2024. Contact your School Resource Officer or the Youth Services Unit for more information.
Engagement Opportunities for Adults
The Citizens Police Academy provides community members with an inside look at law enforcement. This academy will acquaint citizens with the police department’s role in the criminal justice system and will provide an increased understanding of the tasks police officers face in their daily work. The academy meets twice a week for nine weeks and is designed to give citizens an overview of the police department’s functional and operational procedures. The curriculum and teaching methods are similar to the traditional police academy; however, the weekly sessions are not designed to train the participant as a police officer. Upon successful completion of the academy, students will be honored at a graduation ceremony.
The Silver Stars 55+ Academy provides community members age 55+ with an inside look at law enforcement. This academy provides increased understanding of the tasks police officers face in their daily work. In addition, the academy provides education specific to the life and health planning as well as tips to avoid falling victim to property crimes. The academy is designed to give citizens an overview of the police department’s function and operational procedures and meets once a week for six weeks from 9:30 to 11:30 AM at the Active Adult Center.
Our 2024 spring academy class is full! We hope that you’ll check back in January of 2025, when we’ll be taking applications for next spring.