SHEBOYGAN COUNTY, WI (WHBL) - The Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Department is currently accepting applications for their annual citizens academy. The once-a-week for eleven weeks event showcases some of the basic training that members of the department had to go through in order to become a law enforcement officer.
“You’re going to learn about what correctional officer duties are," says Deputy Ryan Kelley. "We go over high risk stops. We go through the gear of the SWAT Team. We have a scenario-based training environment where deadly force situations occur. We learn about the dive team. We go through defensive and arrests tactics. There’s weapons training, as well as doing actual ride-alongs with officers on the street.”
Kelley says the academy has been well received by the public that takes part. “At the end of the class we ask people to give us their reaction, and there’s some that we’ve picked up that have been very impacting on us. We heard that they were very impressed. We had students remark about how they were amazed at what an officer had to go through. We’ve been told that the participants have learned how dangerous this job is and had their eyes opened. But the main reaction we’ve received is participants enjoying the entirety of the classes. One individual commented how they enjoyed every minute of the 11-weeks of the class.”
Events across the country over the past few years connected to police actions have given the impression that support for law enforcement has dropped. Kelley says the academy can be used to help people learn more about the people that choose to serve and protect the community many live in. “The support of the community is always there. The purpose of the academy is to really allow citizens to come into, I guess, the secret world of law enforcement to see what we do on a day-to-day basis, and give them a glimpse of what it is we actually do. There’s a lot of mystery associated with law enforcement, and it allows citizens to come in and see what it is we actually do.”
Applications can be picked up at the sheriff's department's headquarters in Sheboygan next to the Courthouse. They can also be downloaded online by clicking here. Applications are due by February 25.