SEGUIN, Texas – Residents of Seguin enrolled in the 2017 Citizens Police Academy are being given an in-depth look at how the men and women charged with serving and protecting their community do their job.
"We know that they put themselves in danger every single day, but you don't really realize the depth of that until you go through this academy," said Tracie Cannon, a member of the Citizens Police Academy.
The academy is a 10-week course and meets every Thursday for about three hours. During that time, students are provided with lessons in ethics, communications, narcotics, officer safety, patrol, traffic stops, DWI, use of force, handcuffing, building searches and SWAT activities.
Those enrolled also get a tour of the Juvenile Probation Center and the Guadalupe County Jail and are given a tutorial on gun safety.
"It lets us have a better relationship with those people that are out there putting their lives on the line for us. It allows us to learn what we need to look for when we're at home and the police are not in our area," said William Kelly, a member of the Citizens Police Academy.
The academy gives members a quick glimpse into the lives and decisions of those charged with upholding the law. It's also a chance the Seguin Police Department uses to connect with the people in the community.
"There's not always going to be a police officer at every single corner. However, whenever we have community partnership helping us out, they are our eyes and ears. They’re the ones that helps us solve crime or fix something that needs to be fixed," said Sgt. Carlos Contreras, with the Seguin Police Department.
For information about the Citizens Police Academy, visit this website.
--------------------------------------------------------
Don't miss a thing. Get email alerts from KSAT 12 today.
Get alerted to news events as they happen or sign up for a scheduled news headline email that is delivered right to your inbox. Breaking news, severe weather, daily forecasts, entertainment news, all of the day’s important events to keep you up to date wherever you are.
Sign up today. It's Free.