2016 Citizen Police Academy Spots Still Open

The Sedalia Police Department will be hosting the 2016 Citizen Police Academy beginning Sept. 13, 2016 at 6 p.m. at the Sedalia Police Department.

The Citizen Police Academies have been presented world-wide since 1977 allowing the community to see what their departments do and learn the reasoning behind the way they operate. The lesson plans and presenters are from the Sedalia Police Department making it easier for the Academy members to ask the officers direct questions. This is can be an interactive course.

Each session of the academy is three hours long, held once a week, for 10 weeks. The topics in the Academy include: Hiring and Training, Use of Force, Handling Disturbances, Criminal Investigations, Building Searches, Patrol Procedures, Drug Investigations, Traffic Stops, and more. Some topics include practical exercises using actual calls officers have handled. They are presented using a controlled atmosphere for the Academy members to have a “hands on feel.”

Academy members can also participate in a Ride-Along as well as an optional range day. Graduation puts the Academy members in the roles of officer, investigator, evidence officer, and supervisor to investigate a staged crime scene (the crime really did occur).

If you would like to know who is on your police department, see what they do, why they do it and how they do it, please attend. The community that knows what they can expect from their police department is our best recruiter and supporter. The only way to effect change is to know what you want to change.

There is no cost for the Citizen Police Academy but it is limited to 20 members. And as of Tuesday morning, 10 spots were still available. If you would like to participate in the Academy, applications can be found at the Sedalia Police Department. For more information call Sgt. Bradley Beard or Officer Lynette Overstreet at (660) 826-8100.