SEBASTIAN – The Sebastian Police Department still looking for citizens to participate in its annual Citizen’s Academy.
Community Policing Specialist Officer Steve Marcinik said Tuesday that he is working to recruit as many as 30 residents who would like to learn about the Sebastian Police Department.
The academy will meet Thursdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. for 12 weeks beginning Jan. 13 and is free to participate.
“The intention of our academy is to foster a good working relationship with the citizens of our community and law enforcement, as well as foster a mutually supportive avenue for communication and community involvement,” said Officer Marcinik.
The Citizens Academy is open to anyone interested 19 years of age and older.
Members of the class can expect to gain a good working knowledge of all the various divisions within Sebastian Police Department from Community Policing, Road Patrol, Investigations and Crime Scene Processing, Traffic Enforcement & Laws, Records Management, 911 Emergency Dispatching, Community Service Volunteers and much more.
Also members of the class will participate in two tours at the Indian River County Courthouse, where they will be educated in the complete judicial process, and the County jail.
Citizens will hear from the Bailiff’s, representative of the State’s Attorney Office, Public Defenders Office, Clerk of the Court and a Judge during the courthouse tour.
At the jail, they will be escorted by deputies of the Sheriff’s Office where they will be educated in the local correctional process.
Citizens of the class will also meet agents with State and Federal agencies that work with the Sebastian Police Department.
Those agencies include those in the federal system – FBI, DEA and Immigration & Customs Enforcement – and state agencies such as the Florida Wildlife Commission, Department of Children Family Services and the Florida East Coast Rail Road Police.
Interested residents wishing to attend the Sebastian Police Department’s Citizens Academy can go to the Sebastian Police Department web site at www.sebastianpd.org or come to the police department and pick up an application or call Community Policing Specialist Officer Steve Marcinik at (772) 589-5233, press “0” and ask for him.
He will send interested citizens an application and answer any questions they may have.