WESTFIELD – Westfield residents will have an opportunity to get “an inside look at law enforcement” when the Citizens Police Academy is offered in the city next month.
Sgt. Eric Hall, commander of the community policing unit of the city’s police department, said that the 13th police academy will begin in the city on Feb. 4 and the 12-week course will conclude with a graduation ceremony April 22.
“The goal of the Citizen Police Academy is to provide a greater awareness and understanding of law enforcement’s role in our community,” said Hall, and to help participants better understand the working of the city department.
The academy students will learn from police executives and veteran officers who will cover topics including criminal law and the criminal justice system, patrol procedures, defensive tactics, use of force guidelines and code enforcement.
The instruction will be on Tuesday evenings at the Washington Street police headquarters from 6-9 p.m. but a segment on firearm safety will require one Saturday class at the firing range.
Other segments will cover subjects such as child abuse and domestic violence, drug identification, crime scene evaluation, financial crime and fraud.
The academy program will also inform participants about special programs including the community policing effort and the school resource officer program.
“We decided it’s time to do it again,” Hall said, since the course has not been offered in the city for six years.
He said that he will coordinate the program but that guest instructors with specialized experience in the police department and the court will present most of the classes.
In addition to the firearms segment at the firing range, Hall said that there is likely to be at least one field trip, probably to the new dispatch center located at Barnes Airport.
He said that he hopes that the participants will graduate with “a better understanding of how the criminal justice works.”
The academy is limited to 20 participants who must be at least 18-years-old and be a resident or employed in the city.
In addition, participants may not have had any felony arrests or any misdemeanor arrests within a year of application.
Applications and additional information is available at the department, located at 15 Washington St., or directly from Hall who can be reached at 642-9383 or at [email protected]
Applications must be received prior to 4 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 31, in order to be considered.
