Every summer Lathrop Police Services welcomes local students who want to learn more about law enforcement and public safety to a forum that gives them a behind-the-scenes look at what exactly goes into the job and day-to-day operations within the Sheriff’s Department.
And now adults are getting the chance to do the same thing.
Applications are now being accepted for the Citizen’s Police Academy – a service provided by Lathrop Police Services to provide residents with the opportunity to learn more about what the community’s uniformed officers do to protect the more than 20,000 residents that call Lathrop home.
From March 14 through May 9 – for nine consecutive Wednesday evenings – participants will participate in classroom activities that focus on important policing elements such as patrol procedures, narcotics, gangs, community oriented policing, domestic violence, evidence collection and fingerprinting.
The $20 fee includes a course t-shirt, supplies, and a certificate of completion. Guest speakers from within the department – San Joaquin County’s largest police force – will address the topics as they come up during each week of instruction.
Those wishing to participate must be at least 18 years of age, with no prior felony or misdemeanor arrests or convictions within one year of application. All participants must be able to pass a Sheriff’s Department security check.
The classes, which are held at the Lathrop Generations Center – located at 450 Spartan Way – will run from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Enrollment is limited to 25 participants, and those interested in taking part are urged to contact Deputy Jefferson Dominguez at 209.858.5551, ext. 6415. Additional information is available upon request.
Those enrolled will interact closely with representatives from Lathrop’s law enforcement community, and learn firsthand the methods and the approaches that go into the community oriented policing model employed by Lathrop Police Services through a contract with the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Department.
Unlike the Junior Police Academy, which is held during the day over summer break to allow students to attend, the Citizen’s Police Academy is geared towards working adults who want to learn more about their community and what efforts are being made to keep it safe.
The academy is one of a handful of tools that Lathrop Police Services uses to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the public. Past participants in the Junior Police Academy have gone on to become Explorers in the Sheriff’s Office program, and active deputies that patrol San Joaquin County have been hired out of that program.

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@matecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.