The St. Joseph Police Department and the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office are now accepting applications for the 2015 joint Citizen’s Law Enforcement Academy.

“We get the opportunity to show people what we do and why we do it and at the same time we get to hear feedback as well,” St. Joseph Police Chief Chris Connally said.

He said the program is more important now than ever because of perceptions of law enforcement that are not always accurate.

“Being defined by 24-hour news channels and prime time and things that we refer to as the CSI effect with hologram computers and things of that nature,” Connally said. “This is our opportunity to say what it’s really about.  For example, most of what we do is really service related.”

The academy will run for eight weeks, with participants meeting every Wednesday night from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. April 1 until May 20.

“People are surprised to realize just how functionally diverse law enforcement is and just how many aspects there are to a full-service police department,” Connally said. “They have an opportunity to ride along and see first-hand what it’s like to be an officer out on patrol.”

Upon completion of the course, each participant will receive a diploma at a graduation ceremony conducted by Connally and Buchanan County Sheriff Mike Strong.

There is no fee to sign-up, however space is limited to 30.

For more information or to sign-up call Sergeant Greg Gilpin at 236.1473.