KINGSTON, RI – Nov. 4, 2024 –  The eighth annual URI Citizens Police Academy (CPA) welcomed students, staff, and community members on the URI Kingston campus last month and will run until March 2025. While the program is open to everyone, criminal justice and criminology (CCJ) students have a unique opportunity to shape their careers before graduating with their degree. 

CCJ students analyze all facets of crime and criminal justice — from why people engage in criminal behavior to how our police, judicial, and correctional systems respond to it. The CPA is an extension of that; in the courses provided, students benefit from faculty expertise, and outside of the classroom, they participate in experience learning opportunities and eventually potential internships and fellowships. 

“It’s been great to see majors who have participated in this program go directly into the police training academy after graduating from URI and know that, between what they are learning both in and outside of the classroom, they are exceptionally well-prepared to excel in the academy. We already have recent alums who are now working as police officers for different municipal departments across the state of Rhode Island,” said Natalie Pifer, professor and chair of criminal justice and criminology.

The program was originally created in 2016 and is now led by Lieutenant Thomas Quaratella. The 15-week course provides classroom portions that give participants a general overview of law enforcement and policing – all taught by experienced industry professionals that include officers who recently graduated from the police academy, and retired law enforcement including former commanding officers from the Connecticut State Police, North Providence, and Cranston Police Departments.

Topics range from DUI training, active shooter event response, to crime lab simulations and fingerprinting, to safe zone training with the gender and sexuality center that take place in and outside of the classroom. At the end of the program, the CPA hosts a ‘graduation’ day that doubles as a recruiting event that helps contextualize the benefits of working in a variety of law enforcement occupations.

Rachel Cenci ‘25, a psychology and criminal justice & criminology student who participated in the program, aspires to move around the criminal psychology industry with the end goal of a criminal profiling position. She also has plans to continue her education and earn her license in clinic social work to broaden her path. She now interns at the Rhode Island’s Department of Corrections’ High Security Center. 

“The Citizens Police Academy provided me with knowledge and a sense of personal security, which I apply to my internship experience,” said Cenci.

The DUI portion begins in the classroom and covers the physiology of what alcohol does to the body and what officers look for when encountering this specific situation. The next session takes the students outside in a contained parking lot for a DUI practical test. Students sit with an instructor in a police cruiser and go through the step-by-step process of interacting with an impaired drivers (played by actors).

Participants are also offered a firearm simulation that serves as an important lesson in perspective. The simulation begins in a dark room with a large projector in which participants watch a variety of scenarios that may render the use of a firearm. Whether the participant is ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ in their given scenario, it is imperative that they are able to verbalize the justification for any given action. The goal is to understand the knowledge and experience needed as a police officer in order to make difficult, split-second decisions. 

Those interested in the forensic side of criminology have an opportunity to work in URI’s state crime lab located in Fogarty Hall. JD Edwards, a criminalist with heavy experience in the chemistry aspect of law enforcement, leads the crime lab. Here, students practice fingerprinting and participate in mock crime scenes where they are tasked with triangulating blood spatter and taking photographs. 

“The Program was really created to bridge the gap between policing and the community,” said Shawn Miner, coordinator and community outreach & education liaison for the CPA. “We use it as a way to offer a “day in the life” in these particular professions for participants to better understand why certain things are done. So, I would encourage folks to try the program whether there’s interest in a career in criminal justice.” 

If you are interested in participating in the 2025-2026  Citizens Police Academy, enrollment opens in September. For further questions and information, Shawn Miner can be contacted at shawn_miner@uri.edu