Starting on Sept. 13 at its Luling headquarters building, the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office will once again host its free Citizen’s Academy for any person who lives or works in St. Charles Parish – giving participants a chance to see up close how the Sheriff’s Office operates.
The 10-week program is designed to give participants a transparent, behind-the-curtain view of the Sheriff’s Office, from how its patrol division uses tools like its K-9 or marine units to complete their jobs to how its Criminal Investigation Division processes crime scenes. The course dives into the details, covering areas like internet crimes, drones, corrections and a tour of its 911 communications call center. The Special Response Team will even perform a demonstration of an explosive breach on a door later in the course.
“One of the main goals of this course is to build relationships with the community, and perhaps answer some questions as to why the Sheriff’s Office does or does not do something,” Capt. Derek Pertuis, Commander of the Criminal Investigations Bureau and Special Services Division, explained. “Citizens can also get a glimpse into the day-to-day tasks of every division throughout the Sheriff’s Office, not just the patrol deputy they may encounter on the street.”
Pertuis has presented at the Citizen’s Academy since its inception 12 years ago in St. Charles Parish. This year will be his second year to assist Chief Deputy Rodney Madere Jr. in running each session of the course.
“Most citizens throughout their lifetime will only encounter a sheriff’s deputy if they are stopped for a traffic violation or are a victim of a crime,” Pertuis said. “There are so many other functions of the Sheriff’s Office that the general public may not be aware of, and they will experience this through the Citizen’s Academy.”
St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office first got the idea for a Citizen’s Academy from other agencies in the surrounding areas that were running similar programs. Finding it beneficial for local residents, administrators at the Sheriff’s Office began offering the course in 2011 and have hosted it every year since, apart from a brief hiatus during the pandemic.
Each class is around three hours long, with individual sessions typically including a demonstration by three different departments from within the Sheriff’s Office. Residents will also get briefed on the newest trends in scams along with important safety tips on what parents should know regarding social media use with children.
St. Charles Parish resident Julie Champagne, 53, attended a prior Citizen’s Academy event around five years ago, and plans to attend the series for an update again this year. Champagne, who works locally in an administrative role within the legal profession, said once locals attend one or two of the classes, they will want to keep going after realizing how much benefit they are getting out of the course.
“You really do get a feel for what they do; all the different aspects of what they do there,” Champagne said after attending the event earlier. “It’s definitely an eye-opening experience.”
An application is required, and attendees must meet a short list of requirements to attend, such as being 18 years or older and able to commit to attend all classes.
For more details on the Citizen’s Academy, schedule and locations for each class, visit www.stcharlessheriff.org or contact the Sheriff’s Office at 985-783-0205.
Be the first to comment