Coon Rapids Relaunches Community Police Academy, Offering Residents an Inside Look at Modern Policing

COON RAPIDS, Minn. — The Coon Rapids Police Department (CRPD) is relaunching its Community Police Academy (CPA) this winter, inviting residents to take a rare, behind-the-scenes look at how modern policing functions in their city. The seven-week program — free and open to the public — runs Tuesday evenings from Jan. 13 through Feb. 24, 2026, from 6 to 9 p.m.

Registration opened Dec. 1 and is capped at 20 participants to maintain an interactive learning environment. The program replaces the department’s former Citizens Academy and reflects CRPD’s effort to elevate transparency, strengthen community relationships, and better explain the evolving work officers face daily.

A Comprehensive Look at Today’s Law Enforcement

The revamped academy provides a structured overview of CRPD’s operations, including patrol, investigations, special units, and the tools and technologies that support their work. Participants will learn how officers are trained to respond to high-stress incidents, make rapid decisions, and deploy de-escalation strategies — now central components of community-oriented policing models nationwide.

Sessions cover:

• De-escalation and decision-making techniques
• Use-of-force protocols and scenario-based judgment
• Squad-car and body-camera technology
• Forensic tools and evidence processing
• Department structure and unit responsibilities

Each session is taught by different sworn officers and subject-matter specialists, giving participants direct exposure to the breadth of roles within the department.

Spotlight on Crisis and Mental-Health Response

A significant portion of the curriculum centers on mental-health and crisis-response work — a growing share of police calls both in Coon Rapids and across the country. CRPD will highlight its embedded social-worker program, an initiative credited with reducing repeat crisis calls and improving long-term outcomes for residents struggling with mental-health, substance-use, or housing challenges.

Officers and embedded clinicians will walk participants through how mental-health calls are assessed, how risk is managed, and how social-service interventions supplement or replace enforcement when appropriate.

Hands-On Experience: Ride-Alongs and Demonstrations

Unlike traditional classroom-style programming, the CPA integrates practical, real-world demonstrations:

• Patrol ride-alongs, where eligible participants observe officers directly on shift
• K9 demonstrations, showcasing canine tracking, detection, and handler coordination
• DUI enforcement exercises, illustrating the steps officers take during impaired-driving stops

These activities are designed to humanize policing, foster constructive dialogue, and offer clarity around procedures that residents often only hear about secondhand.

Building Trust Through Transparency

CRPD leaders say the redesigned academy is not about recruiting or training future officers — it is a trust-building tool. By opening departmental practices to public view, officials aim to dispel misconceptions, answer difficult questions, and strengthen cooperation between officers and the community they serve.

Programs like Coon Rapids’ CPA have shown measurable success nationwide, improving citizen understanding of police work and fostering more informed conversations around public safety.

Registration Information

The 2026 Community Police Academy is free, but space is limited.

Dates: Tuesdays, Jan. 13 – Feb. 24, 2026
Time: 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Location: Coon Rapids Police Department
Enrollment: Limited to 20 participants
Registration: Click here to register

Residents with additional questions may contact Sergeant Cameron Gustafson at 763-767-7461.

MinneapoliMedia