Citizen Police Academy Course Offered
The Newtown Police Department will again offer to the general public its Citizen Police Academy free informational course, which is presented as a series of talks and demonstrations about municipal police work.
The academy, which is offered to people at least 18 years old, will begin on Sunday, March 22. Sergeant Matthew Wood is the police department’s coordinator for the course.
The academy is a ten-week program for Newtown residents and people living in surrounding towns that is designed to teach civilians about various aspects of law enforcement in the context of the criminal justice system.
Academy classes will be held on Sundays from 3 to 6 pm. The sessions are conducted by town police officers and other people who work in law enforcement.
Sgt Wood said that taking the course provides opportunities for participants to interact with local police and to discuss the issues which face people working in the law enforcement field.
Subject matter for the course will include a police station tour, the police hiring process, field training, patrol operations, crime prevention, crime scene investigation, fingerprinting, a police dog demonstration, traffic enforcement, firearms, and police weaponry. Also, the academy will address motor vehicle law with a focus on DUI. Laws covering students and schools will be addressed.
Participants will have the option of a four-hour ride-along session with a police officer in a patrol vehicle, during which the civilian would not be placed in any dangerous situations.
Applicants will be subject to a criminal history record verification prior to their approval to participate in the course.
To sign up for the academy, people may visit www.newtown-ct.gov/newtown-police-department or the Newtown Police Department Facebook page, or contact Sgt Wood at 203-426-5841 or matthew.wood@newtown-ct.gov. The deadline to register is March 15.
The class size is limited to 25 students. Preference for course participation will be given to Newtown residents, with enrollment made on a first-come, first-served basis.