The deadline for those interested in attending a 12-week simulated police academy program is rapidly approaching.
Friday is the last day for members of the community to fill out applications to attend the Muncie Police Department's Citizens' Police Academy.
Muncie Police Sgt. Bill Brown said the program is set up to educate community members about law enforcement jobs and the realities of police work.
"It's an educational process to show people why we do what we do," he said.
The program is free of charge and is open to anyone who lives or works in Delaware County, including Ball State students. For those interested in signing up, application forms are available at Muncie City Hall or upon request from Brown. However, the applicants are subject to a criminal background check.
"We don't want to educate criminals about how we do our job," Brown said.
The program meets every Tuesday from 6:30 p.m. -10 p.m. in the uniform/roll call room in the basement of city hall. During this time, Muncie police officers hold class sessions covering most aspects of law enforcement, Brown said.
The first class is on the history of Muncie's police department. Other classes include homicide investigating, defensive tactics, and simulated vehicle stops.
Brown said he plays the "bad guy" in the simulated vehicle stops to demonstrate the different attitudes of individuals officers may encounter on duty and will sometimes jump out of the car and simulate killing a student.
"Everybody is just shocked because they can't believe how quickly it happens and how easy it is to get killed at a car stop," Brown said.
Besides playing out police scenarios, students of the program will also learn more about other emergency service workers, including emergency management personnel and dispatch workers.
"You get to touch on all areas of emergency services," Brown said.
Once students have successfully completed the program, they go through a graduation ceremony. The ceremony includes touring the county's jail facility and getting a certificate of completion from Muncie's Mayor Dan Canan and Chief of Police Joe Winkle, Brown said.
After completing the program, graduates can join the Citizens' Police Academy Alumni group.
Brown said Muncie police use the alumni group, which meets once a month, to stay in touch with the community.
"Policing is pretty much governed in what the public demands," he said.
Graduates of the program also have the opportunity to schedule ride-alongs with an on-duty Muncie police officer, Brown said.
"Some of them (graduates) have been along when some pretty interesting things have happened," he said.
This is the fourth year Muncie police have offered the program. Brown said he started the program in Muncie after sitting in on a similar one in Indianapolis.
"Our department being much smaller than theirs, I put together (a program) that would best serve our needs here," Brown said.
The program is a good opportunity for people who are interested in law enforcement to learn about what a police officer does, Brown said.
In return, he said, police want to learn from citizens how they can better address problems in the city.
"It's a two-way street," Brown said of the interaction between officers and individuals in the community.
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