LAFAYETTE, La. — Dozens of citizens now know the inner workings of the Lafayette Police Department after graduating Wednesday night from the department's citizens academy.
The Citizens Police Academy was initiated by the Lafayette Police Department at the start of this summer. The initiative was developed to provide local residents with a deeper understanding of the responsibilities of police officers and the department's role in the community.
Over the course of 10 weeks, participants convened once a week, except for a Saturday range day. They were educated on virtually every facet of an officer's role, encompassing recruitment, administration, patrolling, traffic regulation, SWAT, communication, hostage negotiation, crime scene analysis, and various other domains, according to Public Information Officer Sgt. Robin Green.
Steve Doerr, a graduate of the Lafayette Police Department's Citizens Academy, says, "Yes, it gave us a great insight into what they do and what a difficult job it is. That's one of the major things that I'm coming away with is just how difficult it is to be a police officer today."
