The Picayune Police Department has announced that applications for a Citizen’s Police Academy are available at the Criminal Justice Center.

Assistant Chief Jeremy Magri said the class will reveal many department techniques such as dusting for and lifting of fingerprints.

“We will have interactive portions for the class to try their hand at lifting prints and recognizing many street drugs that are in circulation. Officers will bring a drug kit that participants can view,” Magri said.

The class is designed to provide information that participants can use such as recognizing signs of someone abusing drugs, knowing questions that dispatchers might ask when calling into the station and understanding police procedure during a routine traffic stop.

“We are limited to 25 applicants so we can provide one-on-one instruction,” Magri said.

Selected applicants will attend a two-hour class, one night a week for eight weeks at the Intermodal Transportation and Tourism Center. The classes will begin on May 13, and continue through July 1.

“The classes will be taught by different officers on the force,” Dawsey said. “The academy instruction will allow the community insight into the workings of the police department— why and how we do what we do. They will also learn the many ways in which we serve the community.”

The department is hoping for a variety of applicants, Dawsey said. The department encourages business owners, parents, civic leaders, Neighborhood Watch members and college students aged 21 and older to apply.

“We will be addressing things such as what to look for when you notice a suspicious situation and potential questions dispatch might ask when someone calls in,” Dawsey said.

Dawsey said that the department recognizes the importance of their partnership with the community to ensure Picayune is a safe place to live.

“Community outreach programs like the academy allows both community members and police personnel to get to know each other on a more personal level,” Dawsey said.

He hopes that through programs like this, the department can spark enthusiasm needed to achieve community involvement and the development of solutions geared toward the betterment of Picayune.

“We believe that informed citizens enhance public safety, make informed decisions about how to protect themselves and their businesses, understand law enforcement strategies in problem solving and grasp the importance of the community-law enforcement partnership,” Dawsey said.

The deadline to return applications is May 2.

Graduates of the academy will receive a certificate of completion.