Community Resources Unit

The Community Resources Unit (CRU) leads various crime prevention and community relations initiatives for the WSPD with the main goal of securing the hope and wellbeing of our community. Specific duties include, but are not limited to:

  • Organizing various programs to educate youth in crime prevention
  • Organization of neighborhood watch groups
  • Public education for crime prevention
  • Residential and business security inspections
  • Various other activities to promote citizen cooperation in reducing and preventing crime in Winston-Salem

For more information, call 336-773-7835 or email the Community Resources Unit.

Helpful Resources

Citizens Police Academy Now Accepting Applications

The Winston-Salem Police Department (WSPD) is now accepting applications for the Citizens Police Academy (CPA). The CPA offers citizens insights into how police officers perform their duties and how the department as a whole serves the community. The ultimate goal of the CPA is to educate the citizens of Winston-Salem about the operation of their police department while providing an avenue for valuable feedback from participants. There is no cost to attend the CPA.

The Citizens Police Academy will be held on Thursday evenings August 8 – November 7, 2024 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Public Safety Center, 725 N. Cherry Street, Winston-Salem and Alexander R. Beaty Public Safety Training and Support Center located at 1200 N Patterson Avenue.

For more details and to apply today, click here: Citizens’ Police Academy.

Youth Citizens Police Academy Now Accepting Applications

The Winston-Salem Police Department (WSPD) is now accepting applications for the Youth Citizens Police Academy. This program is offered to rising freshmen to high school senior students, who are interested in learning about the WSPD or a career in law enforcement. There is no cost to participate.

The Youth Citizens Police Academy will be held June 17-21, 2024, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Alexander R. Beaty Public Safety Training and Support Center located at 1200 N Patterson Avenue. Lunch will be provided.

Youth Citizens’ Academy Flyer

For details and to apply today, click here: Youth Citizens’ Police Academy

Active Assailant Training

Any day that we report to work or to school or a shopping mall it may seem like a regular day to us but what we don’t know is what other life experiences or issues others may be facing. By being aware and having an exit plan are key strategies to survival in many situations.

An active assailant event is an event that can happen quickly, is unpredictable and rapidly evolving. Remember that law enforcement is not there to evacuate or to tend to the injured, they are there to locate and stop the shooter. Please know that medical services are on the way.

The City of Houston, Texas has put together an informational video that talks about active assailant events and ways to survive. The three (3) key strategies identified for survival are avoid, deny, and defend.

AVOID – starts with your state of mind

  • Pay attention to your surroundings
  • Have an exit plan
  • Move away from the source of the threat as quickly as possible
  • The more distance and barriers between you and the threat, the better

DENY – when getting away is difficult or maybe impossible

  • Keep distance between you and the source
  • Create barriers to prevent or slow down a threat from getting to you
  • Turn off the lights
  • Remain out of sight and quiet by hiding behind large objects and silence your phone

DEFEND – you have the right to protect yourself

  • If you cannot Avoid or Deny, be prepared to defend yourself
  • Be aggressive and committed to your actions
  • Do not fight fairly
  • THIS IS ABOUT SURVIVAL

Watch the Avoid, Deny, Defend overview video of how to save your life in an active assailant event.

Always Remember – What You Do Matters