Sidney to hold Citizens’s Police Academy

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SIDNEY — The Sidney Police Department has announced a Citizens’s Police Academy for the residents of Sidney, or anyone who is a part of an organization within the city, will be starting in October. The department was one of 20 law enforcement agencies within the state, to receive grant funding to help strengthen community-police relations. With this funding, the department considered several options to help create collaboration between the department and the community.

“Throughout the state, several departments have established successful Citizen Police Academies,” said Chief Will Balling. “The department has done extensive research, reaching out to other law enforcement agencies to discuss what topics they teach, and how their programs are structured. A collaboration board, made up of stakeholders within Sidney was also conveyed, to discuss what issues seem to affect the citizens of Sidney.”

The goal of the program is to build bonds between the community and the department through trust and understanding. Officers and subject matter experts associated with the Sidney Police Department will be teaching the various courses such as Use of Force, Contemporary Policing Issues, Active Shooter, and Search & Seizure. Students will also go through a firearms training simulator that will put the students through real life scenarios that officers experience.

Two academies will be conducted. The first academy will begin Oct. 11 and will be on Tuesdays from 7 p.m. to approximately 9 p.m., until Dec. 13. A second academy will be held in the 2017 calendar year at a time yet to be determined.

Applications and brochures can be found at the Sidney Police Department, or can be obtained on the city website, under the News & Events tab. The deadline to apply is Sept. 30.

“The Citizens’ Police Academy is a great way for the residents to communicate their safety concerns they have to the officers that serve them,” said Balling. “The participants are encouraged to have questions, participate in open dialogue, and advise staff on comments and concerns to make this program a success.”

For more information visit the News & Events tab on the city of Sidney’s website, or contact Samuel O. Reed at [email protected].

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