Second group finishes learning about police department work

BY LISA HOBBS

A new group of Citizens Police Academy graduates has departed with a better understanding of McMinnville Police Department.

The class held its second graduation ceremony recently after members completed a 10-week course, which the students found informative and fun, as well as helping to develop lasting bonds between participants.

Since the beginning of the program, members have been diverse in their backgrounds but united in their reaction to the class.

The second group included Hollie Cox, Sequatchie County court/victim advocate from Families in Crisis, who took the class to build a better relationship between herself, Families in Crisis, and the police department. According to Cox, she loved it and feels she learned a great deal and now is on a first-name basis with many of the officers and they now have a face to put with FIC.

After spending 42 years in the National Guard and now retired, Jerry Haston found the class to be very entertaining and informative.

‘I thought it was terrific,’ said Haston, who noted he learned something every night of the program but visiting the firing range was his favorite. ‘You find out things you never dreamed went on in law enforcement and you come away with an idea of how everything functions. I really enjoyed it.’

Among the things offered during the academy, participants get hands-on experience with criminal law, patrol procedures, narcotics and vice investigations, accident reconstruction, criminal investigations and crime scene processing.

Explaining how the department works, while having a little fun, the program is geared toward building a bond between the department and the citizens it serves while creating well-informed citizens.

‘You do build a bond between the police department and yourself,’ said Haston. ‘I would recommend it to any citizen of McMinnville or Warren County. I would highly recommend it to anybody.’

The third Citizens Police Academy will be offered some time in the spring, with the sign-up to be announced well in advance. For more information, contact Special Services Division Commander Capt. Mike Lane at 473-3808.