Surei Scanlon and Melissa Rodriguez from the Austin Police Department, Community Police Academy
Officer Scanlon retired after 23 years of exemplary service on the Austin Police Department and was asked to come back to serve on their reserve unit and leads the Community Police Academy whose goal is to educate the public about the APD and increase rapport between community members and police officers
The Academy is a free 14 week program designed to give the public a working knowledge of the APD. It is typically held twice a year with classes meeting on Tuesday evenings. The class curriculum is comprehensive and different units within the department are covered each week.
Officer Rodriguez joined the APD in 2017 initially as civilian staff as a communications facilitator for situations where a Spanish speaker was needed before deciding to become a police officer. She strives to be a positive role model for women in the community. She hopes to change negative perceptions of police officers and to help the community feel better about their police protection.
The goal of this program is to educate and connect, not to change people’s minds. To foster communication and trust between the police and the community by giving citizens a working knowledge of the departments.
The Travis County Sheriff’s Office hosts a Citizens Academy with the next session scheduled for February 2026 and the University of Texas at Austin Police Department also offers a Citizen Police Academy program.