The original concept of the Citizens Police Academy (CPA) came from Great Britain, where the UK Constabulary designed a program to give citizens an overview of British law enforcement operations. Known as "police night school" when it began in 1977, the program was an immediate success.
Soon after, the idea spread to the United States via the Orlando Police Department in Florida. The CPA concept can now be found in large and small law enforcement agencies across the United States and Canada.
The first Pearland Citizens Police Academy class was started in the spring of 1995 and was an immediate success. There are now over 400 graduates with approximately 115 alumni members. The academy is held each spring and fall and stretches for twelve weeks of instruction in the various tasks associated with law enforcement.
CPA students are encouraged to be involved in the instruction by using the "two way lectern" approach during the course. Units of instruction covered during the course include:
| Traffic Laws and Penal Code |
| Officer Survival |
| Criminal and Narcotics Investigations |
| Patrol Procedures |
| SWAT |
| Gangs |
| Hiring and Liability |
| Field Trips |
Graduates of the class are offered the opportunity to keep learning and participating in community service through membership in the Pearland Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association.
Working under the liaison guidance of the Pearland Citizens Police Academy Coordinator, the alumni members have made numerous contributions over the years. Their efforts have promoted the CPA classes and the police department alike. The association planted the first and only pear trees in front of the station to proudly display the city's heritage. Other donations by the PCPAAA include: shotguns for the honor guard, a large television and VCR for the training room, mirrors for the gym, Portable Breath Tests, Tasers, Window tint meters, computer jump drives, cameras for patrol officers, traffic cones, 20 foot long enclosed trailer, All Terrain Vehicle (ATV), and raincoats for the officers.
The volunteer hours of alumni members range from assisting the firearm instructors, participating in Combined Agencies Response Team (C.A.R.T. - better known as SWAT) training as actors, helping the administrative staff with reports and mail outs, data entry, property room inventory, pawnshop ticket collating, business alarm updates. They also conduct Handicap Parking Patrol, Citizens on Patrol, and road blocks/crowd control at special events as well as other selected activities.
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