Brownwood Police Chief Mike Corley announced this week that he is starting a new program to help area residents get a behind-the-scenes look at the local police force and help open the lines of communication between citizens and the police department.

The Citizens Police Academy (CPA) will meet weekly, lasting 8-10 weeks on Tuesday evenings.  Corley said that he hopes to make it a fun and interesting program.

“The CPA is a way for our police department to open its doors to the public and give students an inside look at our police operations,” Corley said.

Although the police department is working on the final schedule of the academy, the chief said that he will try to arrange a day for participates to make a trip to the police shooting range on a Saturday.

The objective of the Citizen Police Academy is not to train an individual to be a “reserve police officer” but to produce informed citizens. The citizens and police officers meet each other face to face in a neutral, friendly setting and each becomes a person to the other.

Corley said that the first class will be held Tuesday, February 8th.   Those interested can contact Crime Prevention Officer, Chandra Means at 646-2525, or stop by the Law Enforcement Center to pick up an application.