Nearly 20 Doña Ana County residents successfully completed a recent eight-week citizens' police academy, sponsored by the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Department.
A graduation ceremony was held at the sheriff’s department main headquarters last week, hosted by Doña Ana County Sheriff Enrique “Kiki” Vigil.
The Citizens' Police Academy, a public education outreach program of the department since 2001, takes participants through several workshops and on-site tours to better understand the nature of police work, how investigations are conducted, evidence collection, and patrol functions. A section on the use of force and the department’s less-lethal weapons systems is also included.
To date, nearly 200 Doña Ana County residents have graduated from the program.
At the completion of each academy, participants are introduced to several auxiliary divisions of the department, where volunteers have the opportunity to assist with various public safety initiatives.
The sheriff’s department hopes to host another academy before the end of the year. To participate, applicants must be at least 18 years of age or older, a resident of Doña Ana County, and must have a valid driver’s license or photo ID. Because of the sensitive nature of police work, a brief background check will be conducted on all applicants. Academy participants must not have any prior felony convictions and no misdemeanor arrests within the last three years.
For more information, or to download an application, visit www.GoDASO.org or emailkellyj@donaanacounty.org. You can also call the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Department public information desk, (575) 3864302.
Information from Doña Ana County