Ropes Challenge Course

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Contact Us

The contact Officer for this program is Sergeant Janet Lopez and please feel free to email (LopezJ@amherstma.gov) or call (413-259-3196) Sergeant Lopez with your questions or comments.
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About the Ropes Challenge Course Program

Every spring, summer and fall The Amherst Police Department runs an Adventured Based Ropes Course at the Notch Visitors Center in South Amherst. This Ropes Course is completely run and facilitated by the men and women of the Amherst Police Department. All Officers have volunteered and have been selected from within the department to represent the Amherst Police as facilitators. Officers and participants are able to interact in this truly unique setting.

All Amherst Police ropes course instructors spend a minimum of 80 hours at the High 5 Adventure Learning Center in Brattleboro, Vermont learning how to become Ropes Course facilitators. Also, some Officers have attended an additional 4 days of advanced/rescue type training at the High 5 Adventure learning center.

Why an Adventure Based Ropes Course Program?

The Amherst Police Department is committed to our community and the benefits of the community policing philosophy. Our goal in operating the Adventure Based Ropes Challenge Course is to strengthen our relationship, enhance communication, and build bridges with the community we serve. The Ropes Challenge course offers a unique interaction between the police officers of the Town of Amherst and the community that they serve. The challenge course allows citizens of all ages to see the officers as teachers, mentors and team members. It also allows the police officers to see the community in a different venue.

In addition to building a positive relationship between the police and the community, our objective is to use the Ropes Challenge Course and its accompanying curriculum to promote self-discovery, the development of social skills, mutual respect, fair play, and sportsmanship while encouraging friendship and camaraderie between the members of the group we host. It is by using a Ropes Challenge Course program which is based on a combination of recreation, education and development that will assist us in achieving our goals and objectives. Nationally, Ropes based challenge courses have an outstanding safety record.

We have hosted youth sports teams, Amherst Pelham Regional School classes of all ages, youth organizations and local College organizations. All Groups and Organizations from the Amherst and UMASS area are welcome and encouraged to challenge themselves at our ropes course. The programs we offer to the Town of Amherst groups (public schools, town sports teams and youth groups) is largely funded by Community Policing grants. This money is awarded to the Amherst Police Department by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety.

We have an assortment of challenges available for you to choose, whether you are looking for high or low elements we can accommodate whatever kind of adventure day you are looking for.
  • Challenge yourself
  • Build everlasting bonds with your team or organization
  • Experience teamwork in its truest form
  • Promote self discovery
  • Enhance motivation


YOUTH ADVENTURE ACADEMY

The Amherst and University of Massachusetts Police Departments are pleased to announce the Amherst and UMASS Police Youth Adventure Academy is being held Monday, July 25, 2022 to Friday, July 29, 2022, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Students entering 6th, 7th, or 8th grades are eligible to attend. There is no cost to attend the academy. However, as the academy is limited to 20 participants, preference will be given to Amherst residents and UMASS affiliated families. The Youth Adventure Academy allows participants to learn about police work through classroom sessions, role play scenarios, and interactive demonstrations in the areas of law, crime scene investigations, defensive tactics, and patrol procedures, to name a few. The Academy also features afternoons at the popular Amherst Adventure Based Ropes Course. Lunch is served at the award winning UMASS Dining Commons.

Applications can be downloaded below or obtained at the Amherst and UMASS Police Departments. The application deadline is June 16, 2022. Questions regarding the academy can be forwarded to Amherst Police Detective Yvonne Feliciano at 413-259-3311 or felicianoy@amherstma.gov and UMASS Police Officer Brian Kellogg at 413-545-9461 or bkellogg@admin.umass.edu.

To Apply for the Youth Adventure Academy, download and complete the below application: 
Adventure-Academy-Application-2022