The Citizen Academy
by Brandi Swain
The Citizen Academy provides members of the community an inside look at the Sheriff’s Office and all facets of law enforcement. You may be surprised to learn we have approximately 450 people at the Sheriff’s Office who work across almost 40 divisions and units. About 170 of those men and women are Patrol Deputies. And 150 are Correctional Deputies who work in the County Jail. We have come a long way from when the Sheriff’s Office was created in 1850 with just one employee.
The Citizen’s Academy is an 11-week course that’s held one evening a week from 6-9 PM, starting in late August at the Sheriff’s Office. Each night will have a presentation on topics like investigations, patrol procedures, drug and gang enforcement, and crime prevention. Some of the highlights include live demonstrations from our Special Enforcement Detail (our version of SWAT) and from the Bomb Task Force. You’ll also get the chance to see a demonstration from our K9’s and their handlers. Plus, participants will have the opportunity to do a ride-along with one of our Deputies as well as a sit-along with one of our Dispatchers. And all will have the chance to experience our state-of-the-art force options simulator that puts you right in the middle of the action making those same split-second decisions that all Deputies have to make.
The goal of the academy is not only to show all of the elements of the Sheriff’s Office but to also highlight the men and women behind the badge. To hopefully give some insight into what we call our profession but also just happens to be our passion. We would love to have you join us at this year’s Sheriff’s Citizen Academy. An application can be found online at slosheriff.org. For more information contact our Crime Prevention Office at slosheriff.org. For more information contact our Crime Prevention Office at (805) 781-4578.
