Get an Upclose Look at Police Work in Citizens' Academy

This won't be a behind-the-scene look into "Hill Street Blues."

This is the real deal.

The 10-week Citizens' Police Academy will open at 7 p.m. Sept. 5 in the council chambers at village hall, 517 DesPlaines Ave. It concludes Nov. 6. The course, sponsored by the Forest Park Police Dept., is free.

The classes will be led by Sgt. Peter Morrissette; other members of the department also will teach a section.

Each week the class will delve into one or two police activities from legal issues and communications to criminal investigations.

They'll see demonstrations by the police department's canine corps and Forest Park's Special Response Team, its version of a S.W.A.T team. Students also will find out what happens when a cop thinks you might be a drunk driver.

They'll also get to hear the stories and descriptions of police work and hands-on demonstrations, parts of the class that Morrissette said participants like the best.

For liabilities reasons, students won't learn about police weapons.

The program, which began some 10 years ago, is a way to bridge the gap between the community and the police department, Morrissette said. "It's a way to get involved. They get to know us a bit and they learn our work is different from what people see on television," he said.

There's no final exam. The graduation ceremony will be during the council meeting on Nov. 12.

For more information contact Sgt. Morrissette at 708-615-6220.