Prince George's County Parks & Recreation Launches Free 9-Week Park Police Citizens Academy

Prince George’s County Parks & Recreation announced a free, nine-week Park Police Citizens Academy that begins March 10, 2026, and is “intended to familiarize residents with the mission, operations and community policing work of the Park Police.” The announcement lists the program length and start date but does not include session times, locations or registration instructions.

The county notice contains an incomplete line — “The academy is an opportunity for residents to take a” — and does not specify whether the series meets weekly, the day or time of sessions, a registration deadline, eligibility criteria, or how many residents will be accepted. For media and registration follow-up, Parks & Recreation media contacts used in other agency releases include Kira Calm Lewis at 301-446-3327, Kira.CalmLewis@pgparks.com, and Veronica Marshall at 301-446-3313, Veronica.Marshall@pgparks.com.

The Citizens Academy announcement arrives amid a broad slate of Prince George’s County (MD) Parks & Recreation services administered by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. M-NCPPC program details in county materials note that Senior ID cards are free when residents bring proof of age and residency to any community center, youth ID cards are free for ages 6 to 17, and membership pricing distinguishes Bi-County residents (those who live within Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties) from Non-Bi-County residents. The published fee table shows adult 1-year memberships at $125 for Bi-County residents and $315 for Non-Bi-County residents; teen (13–17) 1-year memberships are listed as free for Bi-County residents and $225 for Non-Bi-County residents. The county also operates large facilities such as the Prince George’s Sports & Learning Complex, which opens its indoor track and pool Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings from 8 am to 12 noon under existing access rules.

Parks & Recreation Foundation activity provides additional context on program funding for county outreach. A Parks & Recreation Foundation press release from December 9, 2016, cites a $30,000 grant from the GEICO Philanthropic Foundation to underwrite a Midweek Matinee series for Title 1 students; Steven Carter is named as Director of the Parks and Recreation Foundation in that release.

To avoid confusion with a nearby jurisdiction, note that Prince George County, Virginia — a separate county — operates its own Parks and Recreation system. Prince George County (VA) lists a Central Wellness Center at 11023 Prince George Drive, Disputanta 23842, with a registration card priced at $5 per month or $50 per year and a Department Director named Keith B. Rotzoll (krotzoll@princegeorgecountyva.gov). Those Virginia facilities, fees and addresses are distinct from Prince George’s County (MD) programming and should not be conflated with the Park Police Citizens Academy.

The announced academy’s March 10, 2026 start date and stated mission place it among the county’s public-facing community-policing initiatives; Parks & Recreation has not yet supplied the missing logistics that would allow residents to register, verify eligibility and plan attendance. The county media contacts listed above are the published points of contact on related Parks & Recreation releases.