Reno, NV…The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office is teaming up with the Reno and Sparks Police Departments to offer an intensive twelve-week Regional Citizens Police Academy that provides insight on how law enforcement personnel perform their daily duties and work to protect the communities they serve.

“I invite and encourage any Washoe County resident with a desire to learn more about the day-to-day life of local law enforcement to take advantage of this exciting and unique opportunity,” Washoe County Sheriff Michael Haley said. “I believe citizens will be fascinated by the amount of training, variety of disciplines, and high level of skills required for this extremely demanding carreer.”

The Academy is scheduled to begin on May 16 and will include tours of local law enforcement facilities along with demonstrations about police operations and tactics. Citizens will also learn about the many divisions that make up a law enforcement agency such as Detectives, Regional Gang Unit, Regional Bomb Squad, SWAT, K-9 Teams, and Crisis Incident Negotiation Teams.

Several of the classes will involve hands-on activities such as driving a law enforcement emergency vehicle, participating in firearms training, conducting building searches, and participating in simulated training exercises.

Applications and class schedule are available online at WashoeSheriff.com.

Completed applications must be delivered in person to the front desk of any of the participating agencies by the end of business on April 19.

The Regional Citizens Police Academy is free of charge and open to all qualified applicants. Participants must be 18 years of age or older to attend, and a resident of Washoe County. The Academy will be limited to 30 participants.

For more information, contact Washoe County Deputy Rick Pillon at (775) 785-5487.

(Photos from a previous Regional Citizens Police Academy)