Citizens Academy turns out another group of graduates

Seventeen residents graduated from the Laguna Beach Police Department’s 22nd Citizens Academy at a ceremony Thursday at Tivoli Too.

In total, 429 residents have graduated from the program since its inception in 1998. The free 12-week course provides residents with a “better understanding of the department and helps foster better communication between police personnel and citizens,” according to a news release.

Residents, who met one night a week for the course’s duration, learned about the department’s history and details about traffic enforcement, crime scene and DUI investigations, gangs, narcotics and the Neighborhood Watch and K-9 programs.

They also toured the Orange County Jail and practiced shooting at the police firing range.

The next academy will begin in the fall. For more information, contact Ross Fallah at (949) 497-0750 or rfallah@lagunabeachcity.net, or Capt. Darin Lenyi at (949) 497-0386 or dlenyi@lagunabeachcity.net.