MILL CREEK – A new citizens academy is being offered by the Mill Creek Police Department to educate residents about the day-to-day business of law enforcement.
Police, prosecutors and judges plan to speak during the program to show how the different branches of law enforcement work together. They’ll also talk about the challenges they face.
The seven-week program begins April 25. The department hopes at least 30 people will sign up, said Bob Kirk, the department’s volunteer coordinator.
“This is what citizens need to know, that their tax dollars are being spent behind these walls, and we’re taking care of stuff,” Kirk said.
The academy won’t provide any police training, Kirk said.
The citizens academy was launched in response to an upswing of burglaries in the city since early 2006. The department is also recruiting and hiring new officers, and plans to start up a volunteer citizens patrol.
Police Chief Bob Crannell hopes some of the participants in the citizens academy will join the volunteer unit.
At the very least, he’s hoping graduates from the academy will be able to explain to their neighbors where the police are and what they’re doing.
“We want to send them back to the community as ambassadors,” Crannell said.
Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or spesznecker@heraldnet.com.
Citizens academy
For more information about the academy, call Mill Creek Police Department’s volunteer coordinator Bob Kirk at 425-921-5758 or Anne Kruger at 425-921-5713.
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