The St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office closed the 20th session of its Citizens Police Academy

The St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office closed the 20th session of its Citizens Police Academy with a graduation ceremony Oct. 24 at Nunez Community College in Chalmette.

Sheriff James Pohlmann addressed the graduates, along with Capt. Charles Borchers, head of community relations and longtime Crime-Prevention and Neighborhood Watch director for the Sheriff’s Office. Dr. Tina Tinney, Nunez Community College Chancellor, also spoke at the event and commended the graduates for their quest for knowledge and desire to better their community. Roy Richard, a member of the graduating class, spoke at the event on behalf of the entire graduating class of about two dozen St. Bernard residents. Richard presented Capt. Charles Borchers and Sgt. Eric Eilers, organizers of the program, with gifts of appreciation from the class. The Citizens Police Academy is an annual 10-week, free program offered by the Sheriff’s Office that is designed to provide residents with the opportunity to learn more about what the men and women of the department do on a day-to-day basis to keep their community safe. Capt. Borchers said nearly 900 citizens have completed the course since its inception. During the course, participants heard from veteran representatives of each division of the Sheriff’s Office who spoke on various phases of law enforcement, including patrol work, narcotics enforcement, detective duties, and SWAT team Demonstrations. Participants visited the Parish Courthouse and Parish Prison, and they used a computerized firearms simulator borrowed from Louisiana State Attorney General Jeff Landry’s Office. For more information about the program, call Capt. Borchers at (504) 278-7628 or Sgt. Eilers at (504) 278-7799.