The latest class of the Citizen’s Police Academy graduates

June 20, 2024 Submitted by The Town of Hingham

The final class of the Hingham Police Department’s Citizen’s Police Academy graduated last Wednesday. The Hingham Police Department has been running the popular Citizen’s Police Academy since 1996. It is the longest-running program of its kind in Massachusetts and has served as a model program for other departments throughout New England. The academy is a 10-week course that covers a range of law enforcement topics, from traffic laws to domestic violence. The course also includes a ride-along with an officer and a dog demonstration.

The Academy provides positive, informative interactions between our officers and citizens. The department’s goal was to provide participants with a comprehensive look at the work of Hingham Police Officers specifically and the police force in general, including the “how and why.” In turn, the Hingham Police Department gains new insight into the needs and concerns of the community it serves.

Donna Thompson works for the City of Hingham in the Land Use Development Department. She was a member and participant in last week’s graduation ceremony. Having worked for the city for only a year, Donna signed up for the academy in part to “learn more about the city as a whole and the people who live here.” She explained that while the academy participants only get “a first look at police work,” the 10-week course is still “an intense experience.”

Donna’s participation included a four-hour ride-along with Officer Kevin Nguyen of the Traffic Division on a Friday night in early June. During her ride, Donna learned about Hingham’s traffic “problem areas” and observed – from the safety of the patrol car – two traffic stops.

Donna attended the academy with none of the preconceived ideas that people often take from police dramas on television, but she left with a deep respect for the professionalism of the Hingham officers and also a little impressed by the high-tech aspects of modern law enforcement.

Donna and her classmates also had the opportunity to experience city police work through a simulated criminal trial before Judge Heather Bradley in Hingham District Court, where her class served as jurors.

The academy will be led in the spring by Lieutenant John Marquardt and Officer Jeremiah Sullivan of the Hingham Police Department.

Hingham Police Chief David Jones had high praise for the academy and its benefits to the city’s residents and his officers. “As a former director of the CPA,” said Chief Jones, “I am incredibly proud of the work that Lieutenant Marquardt and Officers Sullivan and Nguyen do with these academy courses. This program is all about building relationships with our community members and I am honored to continue to offer it to our employees and city residents.”

The program is held on Wednesdays from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. To register for the next class, visit the Hingham Police website at hpd.org.