Police Department Accepting Applications for Citizens' Academy

Want to learn how to dust for prints, how to subdue a suspect, or how a canine unit can clamp down on crime? Then the Elk Grove Police Department wants you.

The police department is now accepting applications for the fall Police Citizens’ Academy, beginning Wednesday, Sept. 7. The free 16-week program teaches citizens who live or work in Elk Grove different aspects of municipal policing, including patrols and investigation, vehicle operations, arrest and control techniques, 911 communications, code enforcement and animal control.

The program is designed to give citizens a better understanding of the role of police in our community, what residents can expect from police and what services they can offer. Instructors are law enforcement personnel. Participants will learn from forensic technicians how to gather evidence from a crime scene. They will watch a demonstration of the force’s canine unit on a narcotics search and learn some defense moves.

The academy, held two times a year, is made up of about 15 to 20 citizens. The program runs every Wednesday in the briefing room of the police department, 8400 Laguna Palms Way, Elk Grove.

Applicants must be 18 or older, with no felony conviction. For more information, go to www.elkgrovepd.org, or contact Dan Hampton at (916) 478-8126, or dhampton@elkgrovepd.org.