A group of residents living in Los Banos celebrated becoming more familiar with the inner workings of local law enforcement last month.
On Sept. 22 a graduation was held for participants of the Los Banos Police Department Citizens Academy program.
The academy is an eight-week venture where citizens learn about how the police department operates.
Police Chief Ray Reyna said the academy was originally a community outreach program started about 15 years ago by former Sgt. Carey Reed. Reyna said the program has been used sporadically throughout the years, but when he became chief, he wanted to bring it back.
“You can call it whatever you want, but essentially it’s community policing,” Reyna said. “We have all kinds of programs: Explorers, Our volunteers, the Citizens Academy. I come from one of those programs.”
Reyna said he’s a 27-year law enforcement veteran who loves the profession and wants other people to love it as well.
The Citizens Academy focuses on various aspects of law enforcement and is taught to participants primarily on Tuesday evenings for two and a half hours. Participants in some Saturday sessions engage in activities such as police ride-alongs and observing police dispatchers.
Reyna said the citizens academy staffing has not been a problem because his department limits the program to occur only once or twice a year to not interfere with active criminal investigations and other concerns.
“I can’t tell you how many hours it takes,” Reyna said regarding the staff time used for the program. “But if we have a section on gangs, that’s not just two and a half hours but all the hours preparing the material.”
Last year, the Citizens Academy held its first Spanish-language program. Reyna said that he felt it was important because the department had heard from the Spanish-speaking community that outreach was needed.
Being part of the Citizens Academy requires filling out an application. Only 20 to 30 participants are accepted each time the program is held. Reyna said that through advertisements and word of mouth from past graduates, the program has never had trouble getting applicants.
At each graduation, he asks graduates about their likes and dislikes.
The next citizens academy will likely be next year, Reyna said.
