Police To Conduct 12th Citizen Police Academy

By Andrew Gorosko

Police Sergeant Christopher Vanghele announced this week that the town is accepting applications for the police department’s Citizen Police Academy.

It is the 12th time that the department is conducting the program, which is offered free to residents and local business people who are interested in learning about law enforcement and the criminal justice system.

“Through classroom and hands-on instruction, the students will learn what it is like to be a police officer,” Sgt Vanghele said.

The first session of the program will be conducted on Wednesday, March 28. The academy will meet each Wednesday night through May 30. The final session will include a graduation ceremony. The academy will meet for ten sessions.

The initial academy session will be held at the police station at 3 Main Street. The other sessions will be conducted at the town office complex at 31 Peck’s Lane. Field trips also will be taken.

Each session will run from 6 to 9 pm, with a 20-minute refreshment break held.

“The curriculum is a basic introduction to law enforcement and related topics. Most of these topics are similar to those taught to police officers at the [Connecticut Municipal] Police Academy,” according to Sgt Vanghele.

Subject matter will include: a tour of the police station and the emergency dispatching center; how a person becomes a police officer; patrol work; crime prevention; a field trip to the state’s forensics laboratory; a police dog demonstration; crime scene investigation; fingerprinting; firearms instruction; police weaponry; a field trip to the state police’s firearms range; criminal law as it applies to school children and to people under age 16; and domestic violence law.

Program participants will have an opportunity to ride along with a police officer while on patrol. The four-hour ride-along component of the program is optional. People participating would not be placed in any dangerous situations, according to Sgt Vanghele.

Most instructors in the program will be Newtown police officers, with some guest speakers participating.

The program is open to people who are at least age 18. Space is available for 25 people. Preference will be given to Newtown residents and Newtown business people who have not previously attended a Citizen Police Academy.

Applications are available at the police station at 3 Main Street, as well as on the Internet at www.newtown-ct.gov. Completed applications may be hand-delivered, mailed, or faxed to the police station. Academy applicants will be subject to a criminal history record verification.

Participants are required to attend at least seven of the ten academy sessions in order to graduate.

Sgt Vanghele will be assisted at the academy by police officers David Kullgren and Amity LaFantano.

People with questions about the program may contact Sgt Vanghele at the Newtown Police Department, 3 Main Street, Newtown, CT, 06470.

The main telephone number is 426-5841. The fax number is 270-0637. The police department’s email address is: newtown.police@snet.net.