Citizen Police Academy XV Offered To Public

By Andrew Gorosko

The Newtown Police Department will offer a free informational program to the public known as Citizen Police Academy XV, intended to provide residents and local business people with an overview of local law enforcement in relation to the criminal justice system.

It is the 15th time that police are sponsoring the educational program, which is held annually in the spring. Police Patrol Sergeant Domenic Costello will coordinate the program.

Through classroom sessions and practical instruction, students will learn what it is like to be a police officer, according to Sgt Costello.

The program will start on Wednesday March 24, and will be held each Wednesday night through May 26, meeting for a total of ten three-hour sessions. Graduation ceremonies are slated for the last session. Sessions run from 6 to 9 pm.

The course’s curriculum is similar to that which is taught to police officers who attend the state’s municipal police training academy.

The course will include a tour of the police station and the town’s emergency dispatch center. Subject matter in the course is expected to include: becoming a police officer, patrol operations, crime prevention, domestic violence, a police dog demonstration, crime scene investigations, fingerprinting, firearms instruction, police weaponry, defensive tactics, criminal law concerning juveniles and the schools, and DUI enforcement.

Each student in the course will have the opportunity accompany a police patrol officer traveling in patrol car for a four-hour period. The students would not be placed in any dangerous situations.

Instructors will include town police officers and other speakers.

The program is open to people who are at least age 18. The student limit is 25 people. Preference will be given to town residents and to local business people who have not attended a previous Citizen Police Academy.

Applications for the program are available at the police station at 3 Main Street, as well as on the town’s website at www.newtown-ct.gov. Completed applications may be hand-delivered to the police station, mailed in, or faxed in.

Applicants will be subject to a criminal history record verification prior to acceptance into the program. 

People with questions about the program should contact Sgt Domenic Costello at the Newtown Police Department, 3 Main Street, Newtown, CT, 06470. Telephone: 203-426-5841. Fax: 203-270-0637. Email: domenic.costello@newtown-ct.gov.