Laramie Community Academy offers residents hands-on look at police work

Residents selected for Laramie police’s 2026 Community Academy spent six Wednesday evenings inside the department from April 1 through May 6, watching the city turn police work into a public classroom. The six-week program ran from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Laramie Police Department and was built to show Albany County residents how officers handle the kinds of calls that often define public trust.

The academy put traffic stops, crisis intervention, firearms safety and patrol work in front of participants rather than behind closed doors. Residents saw investigations, use-of-force decision-making and the department’s less-lethal tools, including Tasers and OC spray. They also observed specialized units such as the Bomb Squad, Special Response Team and Crisis Negotiation Team, then finished with a tactical training simulator.

That structure matters in a city where police contact can quickly become a test of transparency. By walking residents through the mechanics of stops, force options and crisis response, the academy gave the public a direct view of the judgments officers make in the field, especially in moments that can lead to complaints or questions about how a call was handled.

Applicants had to be at least 18, live in Albany County and have no felony convictions or recent misdemeanors. Applications were due March 18, and selected participants were to be notified by March 25. The screening made the academy a local program aimed squarely at county residents who were ready to spend several evenings learning how the department operates.

The 2026 class was not an isolated event. Laramie launched its first Community Academy in 2023, after officers began looking for a more direct way to explain how and why certain decisions are made. That earlier session ran from October 5 through November 16, 2023, and covered 17 topics, including police ethics, patrol operations, crisis intervention, investigations, use of force and traffic stops.

The academy also fits into a larger department structure under Chief Brian Browne, who was sworn in on November 2, 2022. The Laramie Police Department says it has 75 employees, including 47 sworn officers. Its Support Services Division handles recruitment, screening, training, internal investigations and use-of-force tracking, while the Support Services Unit runs community engagement and outreach.

That outreach now sits alongside the Albany Care Team, launched in January 2024 with the Albany County Sheriff’s Office, University of Wyoming Police Department and Volunteers of America Northern Rockies to respond to mental-health crises. In a city of about 30,800 people, the academy offered more than a tour of police work. It gave residents a closer look at the decisions, constraints and responsibilities that shape how law enforcement operates in Albany County.