Ross Citizens Police Academy aims to increase understanding between officers, citizens

For nearly 30 years, Bob Breen helped hire law enforcement officers as part of his work with the Pennsylvania Civil Service Commission.

That included state police troopers, parole and probation officers, and Game Commission officers, he said.

Now that Breen’s retired, the Ross resident is getting a glimpse inside the world of police work by participating in his township’s Citizens Police Academy.

“I knew what the jobs were, but I didn’t know what they did when they went to work,” he said.

Breen is one of 11 cadets from inside and outside of Ross who signed up for the second annual academy, an eight-week program running from Sept. 3 to Oct. 22.

It’s the idea of 20-year Ross police Officer Don Sypolt, who said he wanted to give citizens an opportunity to see what police work is and showcase what his department has to offer.

With the support of Chief Cristyn Zett, Sypolt said he “ran with it,” holding the first academy in 2024.

“It’s important to allow the citizens to see what we do on a daily basis and take away those television fallacies,” he said.

The way police and what they do are portrayed on television are often inaccurate, Deputy Chief Brian Kohlhepp said. While shown as action-packed, there’s a lot more paperwork and behind-the-scenes preparation that gets officers ready for those moments of action.

In their third session, cadets were given an overview of Supreme Court decisions governing their use of force before playing out scenarios and firing guns loaded with training ammunition called “simunition,” which are small paint pellets.

The academy “helps to build our relationship with our community and even just between the general citizenry and policing by better understanding what our job entails,” Kohlhepp said. “The more we understand each other, the better we all get along.”

People misunderstand how much of a police officer’s job is serving as a community caretaker, Ross police Sgt. Matt Immekus said.

“We’re a safety net for so many things,” he said. “The majority of what we do is helping people, not writing tickets or taking people to jail.”

Immekus was involved in the academy last year and again this year.

“It’s a great opportunity,” he said. “Everybody has a bad police story. It might not be so bad if they have insight into why we do what we do.”

Working out the bugs from the first year included making the sessions an hour longer because they had so much content to cover, Sypolt said. This year’s three-hour classes start a half-hour earlier and end a half-hour later than last year.

As part of the program, the cadets will be able to attend an additional class where they can earn CPR certification.

An ice-breaker at the first session on Sept. 3 helped Sypolt learn more about his cadets, including where they are from and why they signed up. There is a wide age range among this year’s cadets, who are from Ross and beyond, and they have a variety of reasons for being there.

Some, such as Dee Derbish of Emsworth, wanted to learn more about police work because their relatives are officers. For Derbish, it’s her son.

“I listen to him all the time. A lot of his work is very interesting,” she said. “I wanted to check it out myself.”

Samantha Glover, a recent University of Pittsburgh graduate moving from York to Ross, was looking to make connections and learn more about police work as she pursues a career as a criminal psychologist.

While the academy isn’t intended for those looking to pursue careers in law enforcement, Kohlhepp said they have talked about developing a program for high school juniors and seniors who are interested in doing so.

Glover was finding the academy informative — such as learning that the police department has a social worker, something she did not know before.

“This is something everyone should give a chance to appreciate what our police do for us,” she said.

Matt Kruth, a teacher from Ross, was among cadets attending out of curiosity.

“I wanted to know more about what they do on a daily basis,” he said. “It’s been eye-opening so far. I’ve told everybody about it.”

Those interested in participating in the Citizens Police Academy in 2026 can look for information on the department’s Facebook page, Kohlhepp said. The department will start accepting applications in the summer.