Although the temperatures may not reflect the season, Fall is officially here and with it, festival season in Sumter County. Our family thoroughly enjoyed the Peanut Festival in Plains last week. It was the first official outing for our new granddaughter, Emersyn. We are looking forward to Taste of Sumter this weekend and to all of the other events coming up in Americus, Andersonville, and surrounding areas leading up to Christmas.
One event, which we hope will become a Fall tradition, is the Citizen’s Police Academy. We are currently registering students for the course, which starts Oct. 6 and concludes with a graduation ceremony on Nov. 16. We will meet from 6-8 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday night. Participants will get an overview of basic police operations and will be able to participate in open forums with members of law enforcement agencies from across the state.
Topics will include, basic patrol operations, traffic law and accident investigation, criminal investigations and crime scene investigation, police use of force, police training, domestic violence and child abuse, drug investigations, SWAT, corrections and community based supervision, gang crimes, and emergency communications.
We will wrap up with an open forum with department heads from each division of the City of Americus who will talk about the services offered by the city and answer any questions that students may have. Participants are also encouraged to ride with a patrol officer for a few hours to observe routine patrol operations.
Participants must be at least 18 years of age and are encouraged to participate in as many of the sessions as possible. To register for the course, stop by the police department and fill out an application, or call Sgt. John Brown at 229-924-3677, ext. 325. You can also download the application form at www.americusga.gov and email it to Sgt. Brown at jbrown@americusga.gov or FAX it to 229-924-0043. Class size is limited to the first 20 who register, so please don’t delay.

Mark A. Scott is Chief of the Americus Police Department.