Laramie Police Department Launches Six-Week Community Academy April to May 2026

Laramie Police Department will host a six-week Community Academy at the LPD building beginning April 1, offering residents weekly Wednesday sessions from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM through May 6, 2026; applications are open now with completed forms due March 18 and selected participants to be notified by March 25. The city web page advertises the program at the Laramie Police Department and lists in-person application drop-off at the Police Department, 620 Plaza Ct., Laramie, WY.

The city’s program description states: “The Laramie Police Department Community Academy is a six-week program designed to strengthen community relationships while providing a behind-the-scenes look at local police practices.” The page further says, “Participants will engage in hands-on experiences, discussions, and training sessions led by law enforcement professionals,” and confirms that “the program concludes with a tactical training simulator, offering real-world policing scenarios to apply their knowledge in a controlled environment.” County 5’s notice described the academy as a mix of classroom ses

Program curriculum and demonstrations are detailed on the city page and include simulated traffic stops, crisis intervention exercises, and firearms safety drills as hands-on training examples. Instructional domains listed explicitly include patrol operations, investigations, and use-of-force decision-making, with exposure to less-lethal tools named as Tasers and OC spray. Specialized units scheduled for observation and demonstrations are the Bomb Squad, the Special Response Team, and the Crisis Negotiation Team, and sessions will also cover the legal system, internal affairs, and dispatch operations.

Applications are described as “APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN” on the city web page. The page instructs applicants that completed applications must be submitted online via a submission box on the city site or turned in to the Police Department at 620 Plaza Ct. by March 18, 2026. The site text also states, “There are three ways you can apply:” but only explicitly lists the two methods above; the page contains an “Eligibility Requirements” header followed by the fragment “To participate, applicants must:” with no eligibility items in the captured copy. For questions the city lists Sgt. Ethan Greenawalt as the contact at (307) 721-3527 and egreenawalt@cityoflaramie.org.

The inclusion of use-of-force decision-making, less-lethal exposure, and a tactical training simulator places practical police procedures at the center of the academy’s public curriculum, a format that can shape community understanding of department policy and practice. The program’s evening schedule and March application timeline give community members a short window to apply before sessions begin April 1; selected participants will have roughly one week’s notice before the first class.

The Laramie Community Academy is separate from professional cadet training in the region: Central Wyoming College operates a Police Academy in Riverton focused on certification training for cadets, teaching criminal law, constitutional policing, de-escalation, firearms, emergency vehicle operations, investigations, and community-oriented policing. Laramie’s academy is framed by city officials as an outreach and transparency effort rather than a certification program.

Residents interested in applying must submit completed applications by March 18, 2026, via the online submission box or by delivering forms to 620 Plaza Ct.; questions may be directed to Sgt. Ethan Greenawalt at (307) 721-3527 or egreenawalt@cityoflaramie.org. Selected participants will be notified by March 25 and the academy’s six weekly sessions will run April 1–May 6 at the Laramie Police Department.