Sheriff Leon Lott is proud to announce the graduating citizens academy class as the twenty-five graduates gathered at the Ramada Inn on Two Notch Road (Wednesday evening September 2, 2009) to receive their certificates of completion. The citizens academy is an opportunity for the community to learn different aspects of the Richland County Sheriff's Department over a twelve week period of time; giving citizens an overview of our Department's structure, services and personnel. The curriculum and teaching methods are similar to the traditional law enforcement academy, but weekly sessions are not designed to make the participant a police officer. Each Tuesday the graduates had a qualified instructor to explain how each division of the Richland County Sheriff's Department operates including Investigations, Narcotics Enforcement, Gang presentation, Evidence, Canine, Special Response Team, School Resource Division, Youth Arbitration, Victim's Assistance, and the Training Division. The mission of the Citizen Police Academy is to educate and inform the community; to provide a forum for police - community interaction; to identify community problems, needs and concerns; and to foster a partnership with the community that will solve problems and work toward creating a safer environment. Sheriff Lott encourages citizens to get involved and learn how we continue to serve our community by signing up for the next citizens academy class. Please visit the website to learn about volunteer opportunities as well at www.rcsd.net .
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