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Participants of the Bartlesville Police Department’s 2019 Citizen’s Police Academy graduated Tuesday night.

In total, 25 people (pictured below) graduated from the program. Bartlesville Police Chief Tracy Roles said the group surprised the department with a 2-thousand dollar donation to the Bartlesville Police Foundation. He said he cannot express the gratitude for those who chose to attend and their willingness to give back so the BPD could further their cause to better serve the community by being able to afford the equipment and technology they need.

At the end of the day, Chief Roles said being the best police department for Bartlesville is what matters most. He said the money donated to the Bartlesville Police Foundation from the 2019 graduating class of the Citizen’s Police Academy helps to alleviate a financial gap and lifts some of the pressures the City of Bartlesville’s budget may face.

Tuesday night was the culmination of an 11-week course for the 25 individuals that attended the 2019 Citizen's Police Academy put on by the BPD. Chief Roles said courses like these are important in that it allows them to show outsiders what it is like to work at a police station.

For example, the 25 that attended the program got to go out and test the weapons the BPD uses when they visited the firing range. The BPS K-9 units were also introduced during the event. A couple participants even chose to be shocked by a Taser.

Chief Roles said they were only going to take 20 people through the program, but they ended up taking in 25 instead. He said it was the best decision the BPD could've made because everyone that attended was very curious and very engaging. That allowed the BPD to teach more people about what they do, too, which is a key goal the department has had since Chief Roles came to the helm.

The next Bartlesville Police Department Citizen's Police Academy will begin on Thursday, March 12th, 2020. If you are interested you can call Special Assistant Rick Silver at 918.338.4033. For more information on next year's program, click here.