THOUSAND OAKS : City to Create Citizens Academy

Seeking to boost citizen involvement in crime-fighting efforts, the Thousand Oaks City Council Tuesday approved two Sheriff’s Department proposals to encourage grass-roots activism.

The council voted to create a Citizens Academy, which would introduce residents to the various branches of law enforcement during a 12-week course. Participants would learn how deputies are trained, tour a crime lab and jail, and ride along with a deputy during a patrol.

“This will be another nail in the coffin of the bad people in this community,” Councilman Frank Schillo said.

Sheriff Cmdr. Kathryn Kemp, who heads the sheriff’s office that polices Thousand Oaks, said she plans to conduct two to three classes a year, each with 25 students drawn from all age, occupation and income brackets.

A full year of academy courses would cost $1,600, split equally between the Sheriff’s Department and the city.

Graduates would then help police by serving as the “eyes and ears” on the street and by spreading information about the Sheriff’s Department.

The council also agreed to fund a network of message centers that anyone with a touch-tone or cellular phone could call to get current information on criminal activity, suspicious vehicles or suspected law breakers. Start-up costs are estimated at $2,500 to install 11 Voice-Tel Message Centers and to publicize the new system.