Fourteen Graduate WCSO Citizens’ Sheriff’s Academy Applications
Some 14 Wilson County residents have a new appreciation and better understanding of what it’s like to be part of the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office following their graduation from the Citizens’ Sheriff’s Academy Tuesday night.
Several of the men and women who completed the intensive 10-week course expressed surprise at how much they didn’t realize occurred behind the scenes at the Sheriff’s Office and Correctional Facility. Sheriff Robert Bryan thanked the citizens for taking interest and time out of their own schedules to experience up close how the men and women whom he counts on to make the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office run smoothly. Each graduate was presented with a certificate and token of appreciation to for their commitment.
Many will now go on to join the growing Academy Alumni Association. Leigh Mills, a past graduate of the Sheriff’s Citizens’ Academy and current Academy Alumni Association President, said of her experience “I was extremely impressed with the program and believe other Wilson County residents can benefit from seeing exactly what the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office encounters from day-to-day. The Sheriff and his staff have created an excellent, intensive course that helps all of us better understand how the department serves the community. Each week, participants are taken through a series of classes that provide a close-up view of law enforcement techniques and shown exactly how much responsibility the Sheriff’s Office has with regard to the jail, courts, and process service functions we might otherwise never see. Presenters offer an entertaining and interactive way to learn the role of the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office and how it relates to our community. I would encourage anyone who has not done so to apply for this course. From graduation, participants are also encouraged to help serve the community by joining the Alumni Association, where they will have a chance to volunteer and support the Sheriff’s Office.”
There are no minimum physical requirements, just a desire to learn more about law enforcement and get exposure to day-to-day aspects of the many facets involved in enforcing the law and assisting fellow citizens. Applicants must pass a background check to be accepted.
“This class is designed to help foster a better understanding between the citizens and the Sheriff’s Office,” said Wilson County Sheriff’s Lt. James Lanier, who oversees the Academy along with a number of other veteran staffers at the Sheriff’s Office. “It familiarizes the citizens with how the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office operates in a hands-on situation. This course shows how different the Sheriff’s Office is from the other law enforcement offices in Wilson County and how much more responsibility the Office has compared to other agencies.”
Some of the classes cover topics such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, domestic violence, patrol procedures, Schools Resource Officers, Civil and Criminal Warrants, DUI awareness, handcuffing procedures and other law enforcement functions. The course also includes hands-on activities, field trips such as a three-hour jail tour, a visit to the firing range, lectures by Communications dispatchers, a representative from the District Attorney’s Office, demonstrations in boating safety and the Office’s Special Response Team among other activities including what a K-9 officer is capable of doing when ordered to search for a criminal suspect.
