Citizens Academy a chance to get closer look at how police operate

Published 10:46 pm Thursday, May 25, 2017

The West Point Citizens Academy held its graduation on Tuesday night with a ceremony at the railroad depot.

The program was started by police chief Tony Bailey after he began his job three years ago, and it’s a great idea.

The 13-week program gives citizens an intense look at the best practices of law enforcement officers.

In today’s world, where there is often distrust between the public and law enforcement officers, this is a great way to alleviate that problem. The program allows citizens to go through different aspects of law enforcement, from investigations to traffic stops.

The other part of the program that can’t be understated is that it allows citizens a chance to get to know law enforcement officers.

The class had 26 members, which is about how many have graduated from the first two classes.

The classes are capped at 30 people, but we hope to see another two dozen or so people taking part in the next class as well.

It’s a chance to get your questions answered about law enforcement and to gain an understanding for why things are done the way they are.