Cedar Rapids Police Department accepting applications for its Citizens Police Academy

The Cedar Rapids Police Department is accepting applications to join this year's Citizens Police Academy class.

Classes will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. every Wednesday from Sept. 18 to Nov. 20. Registration is $30 per person.

The goal of the program is not to train citizens to be police officers, but instead to increase the public's understanding of the police department, how it operates and why it operates the way it does.

The program will include both classroom and field instructions that will cover a variety of topics, including the department's K-9 unit, bomb squad and special response team, as well as polygraph examinations, criminal investigations, defensive driving and more.

Participants must be at least 18 years old. An investigation of an applicant's criminal history will be completed before acceptance into the academy.

The class is limited to 20 people, and space fills up quickly, according to the police department.

Information and applications are available on the police department's website at cedar-rapids.org/police. For further information, contact the police department at (319) 286-5425 or email Sgt. Laura Faircloth at l.faircloth@cedar-rapids.org.

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