The Jemison Police Department will hold a 10-week Citizens Police Academy beginning Feb. 19 at 6 p.m. at Jemison City Hall.

Jemison Police Chief Shane Fulmer said the purpose of the Citizens Academy is to build a community relationship with the citizens of Jemison as well as inform those within the community about the police department.

“The classes we cover during the academy are mini versions of what a police officer would go through in a state certification program,” Fulmer said. “We cover everything that goes on including instruction on each topic.”

Participants in the program will meet once a week for classes that cover emergency calls, police discretion and ethics, street gangs, narcotics and criminal investigations.

Although the Citizens Academy does not train an individual to be a police officer, Fulmer said it produces citizens to become more informed about the inner workings of the police department.

“A lot of times people want to know how things are done within the police department and have never had the opportunity to find out so the Citizens Academy really allows them the ability to do that,” Fulmer said. “We have had people comment in the past about how they had no idea what went on within the community that they lived.”

Fulmer said his goal for the Citizens Academy is to build a closer bond with the community as well as get the community involved.

“The public sometimes doesn’t know what we do or may see something they perceive is happening or going on and in reality it is totally different than what they thought,” Fulmer said. “This gives us a good opportunity to open our doors and allow everyone to work toward us. I have heard a lot of people tell me they gained a different perspective from attending.”

Fulmer said the police department has also benefited from previous attendees of the Citizens Academy who often discuss different topics or give insight on ways the police department can improve.