The 25th annual Citizen Police Academy will be offered to the general public by the Newtown Police Department starting on March 24.

The free, informational program is intended to explain local law enforcement to town residents and to those living in surrounding communities. The program is open to people who are at least 18 years old. Subject matter will include a police station tour, the police hiring process, field training, patrol work, crime prevention, crime scene investigations, fingerprinting, police dogs, traffic control, and firearms and other weaponry.

Sergeant Matthew Wood will be the academy’s coordinator. Sgt Wood is the police department’s drug recognition expert.

The deadline to register for the academy is March 13. The ten-week program is conducted weekly in three-hour sessions that run from 3 to 6 pm on Sundays.

The academy will allow participants to interact with police officers and to discuss the issues that face the field of law enforcement. Also, participants will be given the option of taking part in a four-hour ride-along session with a police officer in a patrol vehicle during which the student would not be placed in any dangerous situations.

Applicants will be subject to a “criminal history record verification” prior to their approval to participate. For more information on Citizen Police Academy, contact Sgt Wood at 203-426-5841 or [naviga:u]matthew.wood@newtown-ct.gov[/naviga:u].