WESTFIELD – Residents with an interest in law enforcement in general and the Westfield Police Department in particular will have an opportunity to get an inside look at the department when the next class of the Citizen Police Academy gets underway Feb. 3.
Sgt. Eric Hall, commander of the department’s Community Policing unit, will be the lead instructor for the class and reports in a news release that the goal of the class is “to provide a greater awareness and understanding of law enforcement’s role in our community and share with participants an understanding of the operations and resources of the Westfield Police Department.”
The twelve-week course is limited to 16 participants and will extend until April 22 with three-hour classes on Tuesday evenings at the police station located at 15 Washington Street. There will be one Saturday class session at the firing range.
Hall reports that the course will give participants an overview of the history and operations of the department, criminal law and the justice system including the court system and the probation and parole programs.
Students will learn about patrol procedures, crime scene investigations and drug identification and will be briefed on programs specific to the Westfield department and community such as the Community Policing programs, the duties of the school resource officers and the enforcement of the city’s codes.
Units on firearm safety, defensive tactics and the use of force are included in the syllabus.
Offenses including child abuse, domestic violence, fraud and financial crimes will be specifically addressed.
Applicants for the program must be at least 18-years-old and live or work in the city.
People who have ever been arrested for a felony crime are not eligible for the program nor are those who have been arrested for a misdemeanor crime in the past two years.
People with other criminal involvement will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Additional information and application forms are available at the Police Department or by contacting Hall at 413-542-9383 or by email at [email protected].
Applicants will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis and the deadline for applications is at 4 p.m. on Jan. 30.
