Roswell Police Department Community Relations Unit

The City of Roswell Police Department's (RPD) Community Relations Unit will use the 2022 Byrne Discretionary Community Project funds to expand its Citizens' Police Academy (CPA) program, and increase its engagement with Roswell residents through the development of virtual materials. Both initiatives are part of Roswell’s community policing efforts, opening communications between the police and the people they serve.

The CPA is a free, ten-week program that gives Roswell residents and business owners a chance to learn more about RPD’s mission and operations while also providing officers with insight into citizens’ needs and expectations. The program currently runs twice a year, serving 50 citizens per year (25 per session). The program is highly rated by its graduates, but there are dozens of applications that have to be denied due to limited space. The grant funding will provide RPD with the supplies it needs to increase the program frequency to four times a year, serving 100 citizens per year.

In addition, the Community Relations Unit has a backlogged demand for providing presentations about current issues like school safety. Because of this demand, it will use some of the grant funding to purchase new audio/visual supplies to develop high quality educational materials and content that can be used in classroom or virtual settings. The initiative will increase the reach of the Community Relations Unit and engage a broader audience.