Police Academy Good Resource for Citizens

Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office Announces 28th Citizen’s Police Academy

Loudoun County, VA: Loudoun Sheriff Steve Simpson announced the formation of the 28th Citizen’s Police Academy, which will commence on Wednesday, March 16, 2010. The free sessions will be held each Wednesday evening from March 16th through May 25th.

Each session will be two-and-a-half hours in length and begin at 7 p.m. All classes will be held at multiple sites to include the Loudoun Sheriff’s Office at the 37 Catoctin Circle location in Leesburg, the Emergency Communications Center (ECC) at 803 Sycolin Road in Leesburg and the Eastern Loudoun Station at 46620 East Frederick Drive in Sterling. The firearms training session may be held at the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office firearm’s range located off of Route 50 in the Chantilly area. The Eastern Loudoun Station is commanded by Captain Ricky Frye. I have taken the Station Tour and recommend that everyone see this state-of-the-art sheriff’s station with the highest possible security and amenities to aid law enforcement efforts.

Sheriff’s Office personnel will conduct the training classes, providing an overview of all the aspects of law enforcement within the agency. Members of the class may also have the option of participating in a ride-a-long with a deputy after completing the academy.

The Eastern Loudoun Station is the agency’s first stand-alone station. The safety center houses a station commander Captain R. Frye and an assistant station commander, Lieutenant B. Harpster. The station offers a community room available for public use to non-profit organizations. To reserve the room, please call 571-258-3356.

I attended and successfully completed the 11-week program in June 1998. The classes were both informative and engaging. My class session included an overview of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program which is taught in our middle schools. I had the opportunity to meet many officers and deputies who worked throughout the county. I was impressed with the sheriff’s office instructors and their intimate knowledge of the Loudoun County community.

This is a good opportunity for active citizens to better understand the complete mission of our hard-working sheriff’s deputies. These sessions equip HOA and other community leaders with the background to assist law enforcement in the security and well being of their neighborhoods. As our culturally diverse population gradually transitions from a rural to suburban locality, it is imperative that residents of Loudoun continue to seek out new means of instruction that promote a positive relationship between the community and local law enforcement. In this way we can ensure a strong bond is established between citizen and the county employees whose foremost responsibility is to maintain our much cherished community security.

The classes are open to Loudoun County residents over the age of 18. To enroll in the Citizen’s Police Academy, please contact Bonnie Burke at the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office at (703) 771-5722, during normal business hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Registration will be on a first-come, first-serve basis. Enrollment is limited to 60 participants. This is up from 24 participants in 2009.

Mark Gunderman can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).