The Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office is taking applications for its Citizens' Academy, which offers insight into how deputies with the Sheriff’s Office perform their duties and serve the community.

The Academy will be held from 6-9 p.m. each Tuesday from March 15 until April 26. A session on firearms Instruction and familiarization will be held on Saturday, April 16, from 8 a.m. until noon at the Sheriff's Regional Training Academy on Hwy. 1 South.

Participants will take part in hands-on exercises involving weapons training, ride-alongs with patrol deputies, and police scenarios. They will also view demonstrations by the sheriff's K-9 Unit, Special Response Team, Crime Scene investigators, and court officials.

Citizens will have the opportunity to tour Sheriff’s Safety Town, Caddo Correctional Center, the 911 Communications Center, and Academy shooting range.

Graduates of the Citizens' Academy are encouraged to join the Caddo Sheriff’s Office Auxiliary Unit, a volunteer citizens' force that helps with traffic control, special events, and various law enforcement duties.

Applications for the Citizens' Academy are available at the Caddo Sheriff‘s Community Programs Division at 1000 Grimmett Drive and on-line at http://www.caddosheriff.org/citizenapp2011.pdf. Applications must be returned by March 4 to allow time for processing.

The Academy is free and is open to persons 18 or older. Felons and people with arrest warrants are prohibited from attending. The course is limited to 50 participants.

For more information or to request an application, please call Community Programs at 681-0870 or 681-0875.