Citizen Police Academy Participants Sought

Town police are seeking participants for their annual Citizen Police Academy, an explanatory course on local law enforcement and the criminal justice system.

It will be the tenth time that police have conducted the free course, which is intended for Newtown residents and local business people. Police Sergeant Christopher Vanghele is the coordinator for the program, which will hold ten weekly sessions.

The academy is scheduled to start on Tuesday, March 29, and will meet on Tuesday evenings through May 31.

Subject matter includes a tour of the police station and the town’s emergency dispatching center; information on how people become police officers; police patrol work; crime prevention; a field trip to the state police crime laboratory; police dogs; crime scene evidence collection; firearms and police weaponry; and a field trip to the state police firearms range.

The course will provide information on the law as it applies to people under age 16, who are known as juveniles; school-related law; and domestic violence law.

Academy participants may spend four hours with a police officer while on routine patrol.

The minimum age for attending the academy is 18.

People who want to participate are required to complete an application that will be reviewed by police. Applicants are subject to a criminal history record verification prior to course acceptance.

Applications are available at the police station at 3 Main Street, as well as on the Internet at www.newtown-ct.gov.

People with questions about the program may contact Sgt Vanghele at the police station at 426-5841, fax 270-0637. The email address is newtown.police@snet.net.