In an effort to develop a better informed community, Knox County Sheriff Donna Dennison and the Knox County Sheriff's Office has announced the offering of its inaugural Citizen's Police Academy.

According to Dennison and Chief Deputy Tim Carroll in a press release, the Sheriff's Office has found that education has been most effective in gaining understanding and support from the community. Through implementation of the Citizen's Police Academy, they said the KCSO can offer the citizens of Knox County new insights into how police, corrections officers and dispatchers perform their duties, as well as how these departments serve the community.

The Citizen Police Academy is an eight-week program in which citizens attend a three-hour class one night a week. To attend, citizens are required to fill out an application either online at knoxso.com/community/cpa or by picking one up at the Sheriff's Office. Completed applications should be returned to the Sheriff's Office, Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Applications will be reviewed and all attendees will be selected by Dennison and her staff.

The lead instructor of the Citizen’s Police Academy will be Sgt. Lance Mitchell, and classes will be taught by Knox County deputies. There will also be guest speakers from the Knox County District Attorney's Office, the Knox County Regional Communications Center, Maine State Marine Patrol, Maine Warden's Service and others.

The curriculum will cover such areas as History of Policing, Maine Law, Patrol Procedures, Criminal Investigative Techniques, Evidence Recovery, K-9 Program, Drug Recognition Expert Program, etc. Each academy participant will also receive basic hands-on training in Arrest Control and Basic Hand-to-Hand Combat Techniques. Role playing is also an important component of the program.

Classes begin Sept. 30, and will run every Wednesday from 6 to 9 p.m., for eight weeks.

The Knox County Sheriff's Office Citizen's Police Academy looks forward to working with citizens in closing gaps between the community and the Sheriff's Office.