The Kirkland Police Department invites Kirkland community members to participate in this year’s Citizens Academy, an eight-week program designed to give members of the Kirkland community a working knowledge of the Kirkland Police Department. The academy will run every Wednesday from 6 p.m.- 9 p.m., from Sept. 5 through Oct. 24. The deadline to apply is Aug. 22.

“We’re excited to offer the Citizens Academy again this year,” Neighborhood Resource Officer, Deana Lansing, said in a press release. “It’s a unique opportunity for residents to glimpse behind the scenes of their Police Department.”

The comprehensive instruction focuses on a specific topic each week, such as patrol officer training, investigations, K9, Special Response Team, use of force issues and firearms. The instruction consists of lectures, scenarios and demonstrations and includes hands-on learning. Instruction will be led by officers and other personnel from the Kirkland Police Department, each of whom is an expert in their topic area.

“Our aim is to cultivate good relationships between our residents and the uniformed women and men who serve them,” Lansing said in a press release. “If someone finishes the academy with a better understanding of police functions and policies, how we make decisions and what an officer experiences on a day to day basis, then it will have been a success.”

For more information about the Citizens Academy please contact Officer Deana Lansing, Kirkland Police Department at (425) 587-3451 or dlansing@kirklandwa.gov or visit the Citizens Academy webpage.