MONROE, La.- The Monroe Police Department is rebooting an old program to help bridge the gap between the community and law enforcement.
It’s called the Citizen’s Academy. It’s a five-week interactive course that gives people an exclusive look to see what goes on in the daily life of a police officer.
Monroe Police Chief Victor Zordan said this program was one of Mayor Friday Ellis’ top priorities.
“That’s the goal. Trust, transparency and relationships,” Zordan said.
Zordan said people who graduate from the program won’t have any official police power, but this will give them the chance to see and learn everything they do. That includes patrols, detective work, support groups and more.
“Hopefully it will help people have a better understanding of what we do and why we do it. It looks different sometimes when you see it from the outside, but hopefully they’ll spread that knowledge around and we’ll continue to grow this program,” Zordan said.
Zordan said the academy will go hand-and-hand with the newly formed neighborhood watch program.
His belief is that this will create a fluid line of communication that could lead to a safer community.
“We can’t do it by ourselves. Everybody in this city knows who did what crime. It’s just being able to get that information from them and we have to make them comfortable to the point to where they can tell us,” Zordan said.
If you’re interested in joining the Citizens Academy, you can contact (318) 329-2641. You can also visit www.monroela.us for a link to the application. A background check will be performed.
MPD will enforce COVID-19 protocols. They will also limit each session to 15 participants.
Sessions will take place on Thursday nights.
