23 Complete Safety Awareness Program

The Camarillo Citizen Academy held its first graduation Thursday evening, with 23 volunteers completing the public safety awareness program sponsored by the county Sheriff’s Department.

During the 12-week program, members studied a variety of topics, including homicide and narcotics investigation, SWAT tactics and crime analysis.

Field trips included visits to the County Jail, the dispatch center and the Sheriff’s Academy, where participants tried out the Sheriff’s Department’s new firearms training simulator.

“Attending the academy has a positive effect on residency in Camarillo because it enlightens you as to what the police are doing for the community, how they do it and why they do it,” said Senior Deputy Dan Place. “The program is chock-full of information on everything from narcotics investigations and the canine unit . . . right down to the basic patrol procedures and how the deputy does his or her job out there in the street.”

Dave Fowble said he learned more about the department than he ever imagined.

“You learn how law enforcement special units work and you can’t learn that on TV,” Fowble said.

“I’m really impressed with the high standards of the department,” he said. “We have a low crime rate and it’s not by accident.”

The program not only is useful to residents, but helps patrol officers too.

“It makes the job of a street cop easier because when he talks to someone out there who has experienced the program and has been on a ride along, they have a different perspective about the job we do,” Place said.

The next 12-week session, which begins Sept. 3, has only two openings, but another session will follow in early spring. Applications can be obtained at the Sheriff’s Department’s Camarillo substation or at City Hall. For information, call 388-5130.