BARTLETT, Tenn. — Barlett Police are offering the public the chance to learn about the badge and what comes with it. The Citizens Police Academy is already full even though it doesn’t start until March, but adults still have a chance to signup for the Fall class.
The ten-week class is just about as hands-on as you can get. Participants even get to drive a police car. Officers say it’s important for the public to see what they’re really doing out on the streets.
“We’re gonna cover everything from crime scene investigation to K-9s, to SWAT, firearms,” Lieutenant Todd Halford with the Bartlett Police Department said.
He said it’s important the public sees how police officers do their job, and the best way to do that is give 15 to 20 people the chance to actually get behind the wheel of a cruiser and even shoot a gun at the range.
The class also educates participants about DUI investigations and traffic enforcement, among other things.
“Anything to get your hands involved, that’s what we’re going to do,” Halford said.
Halford said the idea is to set the record straight about how the department works.
“Too many times do we see things on TV, especially when it comes to crime investigation, where people have magic computers and everybody’s DNA is all intertwined with satellites, and that’s just not how it works,” Halford said with a smile.
The idea is for participants to take the knowledge they learn in the academy and share it with others.
The free program has been around since 1999. The one coming up in March is already full, but Halford encourages everyone to apply for their next academy in the Fall.
“We take everyone, adults, men, women, everywhere from 21 to in their 80s,” he said.
In addition to the Fall academy, the department is also accepting applications for the week-long junior academy in June.