MTPD Community Police Academy

To assist the community in better understanding police training, procedure, and philosophy, the Metro Transit Police (MTPD) offers a 10-week Community Police Academy (CPA) available to applicants who are residents of Maryland, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Virginia, as well as WMATA employees, members of local civic and governmental organizations. Participants of the CPA are given the opportunity to experience firsthand many areas of police training. The program parallels the same subject areas that police officer candidates receive, functioning as "mini-capsules" of the basic training program.

The CPA is for informative purposes only, and it does not train or give authority to participants to act in a law enforcement capacity. Participants must be 18 years of age or older to participate.

The 10 weekly sessions will include topics such as:

Crime Analysis and Records
Crime Scene Investigation
Criminal Investigations
Crisis Intervention
Evidence and Property
Hazardous Devices and K-9
Human Trafficking
Police Communications
Police Training
Special Response Team
Youth Services

Apply now

The program is free of charge to all participants.

Program spaces are still available.

Details:

The program runs from July 1, 2026 to September 2, 2026 (every Wednesday evening).
Deadline to apply is June 17, 2026.
The CPA will accept up to 20 applicants per class.
The time commitment for participants is 10 weeks, one to two hours per session, plus a required ride-along with an officer.
The CPA takes place at the Metro Transit Police Department's Crimina; Justice Academy (3421 Pennsy Drive, Landover, MD 20785).

To apply to the Community Police Academy, please complete the following steps:

Download and fill out the CPA Registration Form.
Download and fill out the CPA Waiver Form.
Email completed forms to mtpdtraining@wmata.com, ATTN: Community Police Academy Registration

Rules and requirements

To read more about the rules and requirements for the CPA, click here.

For more information on the CPA, contact Director Michael Coligan mkcoligan@wmata.com.