Chatham-Kent police officers are getting ready to welcome a group of 30 local residents into their Citizens Police Academy.
The annual program offers residents the opportunity to get an inside look at how things run within the Chatham-Kent Police Service, participate in hands-on workshops, and sit in on a ride-along.
Sergeant Shawn Mungar and Acting Sergeant Ken Lauzon are once again running the program. Mungar said this is the 12th time they have run the program together. The Citizens Police Academy ran sporadically every few years or so but Mungar said it has become a popular tool in educating the public on what police do within the community.
"The response was overwhelming," said Mungar. "The number of applications we would receive every year is phenomenal."
During the 12-week program, accepted applicants will learn from local officers through various presentations that highlight the different police departments.
"It kind of gives [residents] insight as to what the police do and what they don't see on a daily basis," said Mungar. "They see cops in a car pulling people over, giving people tickets, and at Tim Hortons drinking coffee and eating donuts -- that's perception, they don't see what's done on the inside."
Mungar said the feedback they receive is alway "phenomenal". He also mentioned there are a couple of standout sessions that people really seem to enjoy, one of which involves an active shooter scenario.
"We set up a real-life scenario... They get a little 10-minute crash course and they can gear up and get to go do it."
Another favourite among citizens is in regards to police vehicle pursuit training, held at the municipal airport.
"It's not intended to train people to become police officers," clarified Mungar. "It's an educational experience for people."
Classes for the Citizens Police Academy will start in March and run every Wednesday night over a 12-week period. Applications are due by February 24.
"We like to pick representatives from each part of our municipality," he said. "We also like to make it even between males and females and we take a look at age groups as well. We go from 19 years of age and we have had people in the 80s."
Mungar said typically they receive 70 to 100 applications over the short period of time the application process is open for.
"Before, we would put [the notice] out before Christmas time and we would always close it at the end of February," he said.
Residents who are interested in the program are encouraged to apply through the CKPS website.