Sheriff John D’Agostini and members of the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department would like to invite the people of El Dorado County to the up coming El Dorado County Sheriff’s Citizen’s Academy. This Academy will familiarize El Dorado County residents with many aspects of law enforcement and the role the Sheriff’s Office plays in our community.

The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department has instituted the concepts of Community Oriented Policing and Problem Solving, (COPPS). The goal of the COPPS program is to open a positive line of communication with our citizen’s and to involve the community in some of the decisions regarding law enforcement.

By attending the academy, citizens will develop a better understanding of the guidelines under which an officer functions and why officers handle situations the way they do. Also discussed is the role of law enforcement and how members of the community can come together to address serious crime and social issues.

A few examples of the Citizen’s Academy course content include community relations, as well as dynamic looks into our patrol functions, K-9 program, gangs, narcotics, laws pertaining to probable cause and search and seizure, traffic laws, criminal investigation, crime scene investigation, and the use of force, tools and options. Academy participants will also perform an actual vehicle stop and experience what a patrol deputy gets to experience on a daily basis. New this academy will be classes on cold case homicide investigation, as well as a class on neighborhood watch and victim prevention.

In order to receive the full value of this academy and to be able to observe procedures first hand, the academy includes a four hour block in which each class member is assigned to ride along with a patrol deputy while he or she works their beat.

The academy is offered periodically and is 15 weeks long. The classes run one night per week, (typically on Tuesday evenings from 6:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M.) the classes will be held in the Sheriff’s Department’s Office of Emergency Services, (OES) classroom. The Citizen’s Academy is offered on a first come first serve basis and is free of charge. Due to the academy filling up so quickly, we have had to establish a waiting list, so don’t delay in signing up.

The next Citizen’s Academy is scheduled to start February 1st, 2011 and run until May 10th, 2011. This program has been very well received and enjoyed by all who have participated in the past. If you are interested in attending, please click here (Citizen’s Academy Application). You can down load and complete the academy application. If you have any further questions, please contact Detective Jeff Leikauf, at (530) 642-4720
County of El Dorado