Police Seek Course Participants, Helpers

The Police Department is seeking volunteers and students for its Citizens Police Academy.

The 10-week academy offers residents a chance to learn how the department is structured and the services it provides, said Deborah Klein of the Crime Prevention Bureau.

Police officers teach the course for three hours each Wednesday night.

The course is strictly informational and is separate from regular academies for sworn and reserve officers.

The citizen academy activities include meeting the city’s police chief and going on a ride-along with patrol officers.

The program is open to Orange residents who are at least 21 years old and without any felony convictions or misdemeanor arrests within the past year.

Chapman University offers four continuing education units for the course.

The department also hopes to fill a variety of duties within the department with volunteers so uniformed officers can attend to more pressing needs.

Some of the divisions that need volunteers include dispatch, traffic, forensic art and school resource officers.

Training and background checks are required for volunteers, who will be asked to donate at least four hours a week to the department.

For more information on both activities, call Klein at (714) 744-7328.