Graduation Day came after a ten week series of classes tonight...giving regular people an inside an inside look at the police force.
Twenty four people enrolled in the third Citizen's Police Academy and tonight marks their graduation.
The program introduces the class to the Police Department in Parkersburg, and shows them what the officers need, and why.
The program has been very successful in strengthening community ties with the public.
"We will try to have, depending on how the planning phase goes-- meetings, regular meetings, be it quarterly, bi-annual... Where we get these people back together, get their input...they can tell us what's going on," explains Sgt. Greg Collins. "Again, they know what we need to know now & it helps us be more direct and more rapid in responding to problems in the community."
The Citizen Police Academy has become a priority for Chief Joe Martin, who predicts there will be more classes offered, multiple times a year.
