Sheriff’s Office offers fall Citizens Academy

The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office is taking applications until Friday, Aug. 8, for the fall session of its Citizens Academy, which provides citizens with an inside look at local law enforcement.

The nine-week academy is designed to give citizens an overview of the office, policies and procedures.

The fall academy runs from Aug. 27, to Oct. 29, every Wednesday evening from 6 to 9 p.m., although there will be no class the evening of Wednesday, Oct. 22.

Students will learn about police ethics, communications, crime prevention, criminal law, the correctional system and more.

The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office hopes there will be a greater awareness and understanding of law enforcement’s role in the community through the education provided by the Citizens Academy. The curriculum and teaching methods are similar to the traditional police academy, but the weekly sessions are not designed to make the participant a deputy sheriff.

Potential Candidates for the citizen’s academy must meet the following criteria:

• Minimum age of 18 years;

• Community members must live or work in Sonoma County;

• Pass a basic background check;

• No prior felony convictions;

• No misdemeanor arrests within the last 12 months.

Applicants will be taken on a first come first serve basis and placed on a waiting list once the class becomes full. Enrollment is limited to approximately 25 students per academy.

Individuals can find an application by visiting the sheriff’s website sonomasheriff.org or by coming in to the office. Completed applications can be turned into the Sheriff’s Office Main Building front desk or mailed to the department at 2796 Ventura Ave., Santa Rosa, CA 95403, Attn: Citizens Academy.

For more, contact CSO Jennifer Abrao at 565-7398.