Dakota County Sheriff's Office to Offer Spring Citizen Academy

Editor's Note: The following is a press release from the Dakota County Sheriff's office.

The Dakota County Sheriff’s office is pleased to announce the creation of an eight-week “Citizen Academy.” This educational and informative program has been designed so that our citizens can learn more about the issues facing law enforcement in our local communities. We believe that providing insight into the philosophy and operations of the office will build stronger ties with our citizens and help them to better understand the objectives of law enforcement.

Among the topics to be covered during the course of the academy are:

• History of the Sheriff’s office

• Use of force

• Traffic stops

• Searching and handcuffing procedures

• Driving While Impaired (DWI) process

• Laws of arrest

• Criminal charging process

• Judicial process

• Special Weapons and Tactical (SWAT) Team

• Taser demonstration

• Canine demonstration

• Crime scene processing

• Internet crime

• Overview of the Dakota County Jail.

The academy will be held on eight consecutive Thursdays, beginning March 1 and concluding April 19. Each session will run from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. Training locations will vary.

Anyone interested in attending the Citizen Academy or having specific questions about the program should contact Captain Jim Rogers at 651-438-4721 or Jim.Rogers@co.dakota.mn.us.