Citizens Academy graduates first class in Slidell

By Anne Lautzenheiser
St. Tammany News
Published on Sunday, October 11, 2009 12:50 PM CDT

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Every Wednesday night for the last two months, a wide variety of Slidell residents have been coming together to learn about law enforcement.

From a husband and wife team to a Slidell City councilwoman, more than 40 people participated in the Slidell Citizens Academy, which celebrated with a graduation ceremony Wednesday night.

Conducted by the Slidell Police Department, the 10-week program was begun with the idea of introducing average residents to the inner workings of the police and the court system. Participants learned about a number of departments, including patrols, criminal investigation, crime scenes, corrections and reserves, firearms, K-9 unit and SWAT.

Slidell resident Tom Cearley, right, presents Slidell Police Chief Freddy Drennan with a class photo and plaque during the first graduation ceremony for the Slidell Citizens Academy. (Photo Courtesy of Chris Baudot)

Class members toured the Slidell City Court, where they heard from Judge Jim Lamz about how the court works and the types of cases heard there. In addition, each student spent an evening riding with officers on a routine patrol.

Slidell City Councilwoman Kim Harbison said she loved every minute of the class.

“You don’t realize how much every department works together and how each police officer has their own role,” said Harbison. “They’re about so much more than catching the bad guys, and for them to reach out to the community like this, to show us what our tax dollars pay for, that’s pretty amazing.”

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Comments

1 comment(s)

Leah wrote on Oct 13, 2009 8:39 AM:

" My parents went through this class and loved it. (That's my dad in the photo!) If it is offered again, I will definetly take this class! "

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