St. Charles police to host ‘Citizens’ Police Academy’

ST. CHARLES — St. Charles residents will soon have the opportunity to get a taste of what it’s like being a police officer.

The St. Charles Police Department is hosting its Citizens’ Police Academy from March 5 through April 30.

The class is free for St. Charles residents, business owner and St. Charles high school juniors and seniors, but applications are subject to approval.

Applications are located at the St. Charles police station and online at www.stcharlesil.gov. The last day to submit an application is Feb. 26.

The class meets on Tuesdays and Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m. for eight weeks.

The St. Charles Police Department's crime prevention officer, Bill Tynan, runs the program. Tynan, once a journalist for the Republican and the Kane County Chronicle, got the urge to join the force after going on ride-alongs while working on news stories. Now a 10-year veteran in the department, he handles public education, and recently sat down with the Republican to talk about the Citizens' Police Academy:

What is a Citizens' Police Academy?
It's really a way for citizens and business owners to find out, first-hand, what we do as a department other than what they see on the streets, such as writing tickets. There's so much more behind the scenes that they don't see. They get to meet officers face-to-face.

Why is the Citizens' Police Academy important to the St. Charles Police Department?
We want to have good customer relations with our citizens. This really opens up lines of communication, and also puts a face on the department. And it's important for the public to know their tax dollars are being put back into the community from a public safey standpoint.

What can participants expect from Citizens' Police Academy classes?
We'll have S.W.A.T. team members give a presentation. We'll also have someone from the state's attorney's office talking about the legal process and about our relationship with them. We'll have someone from the Kane County Accident Reconstruction team giving a presentation. And we'll have a judge talking about our and their role in the county. There will be a lot of hands-on activities, such as evidence technician who will bring evidence to show. We'll have a firearms training simulation video system--it shows different scenarios and tests how an officer tackles each situation. That's about as close as it's going to come to what it feels like to be a police officer.