The Colorado Springs Police Department — a learning institution?

You bet.

The department is accepting applications for its next citizens’ academy, a 12-week course about law enforcement in the community.

The academy covers a range of topics, including the SWAT team, Internal Affairs, gangs, the dispatch call center and crime scene investigations.

The classes are taught by police personnel.

The academy “educates citizens about the duties and responsibilities, as well as the policies and procedures, of the department, and the citizen’s role in the interaction of citizens and police through a series of eleven classes,” police said. “In addition to helping the citizens better understand the police department, it in turn helps the police department better understand the citizens and their concerns.”

The next academy is March 7 to May 16.

Participants meet once a week, on Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The academy is held at various police facilities. It’s free, but students are expected to attend every session.

“A substantial time commitment is required from the student,” police said.

Students can go on a ride-along, which police say allows them to “see the world through” the eyes of a patrol officer.

Applicants must fill out an application and pass a background check. They are also required to live or work in the city of Colorado Springs and be at least 18 years old.

Applications are available at www.springsgov.com/units/police/CitizensAcademy.asp.

“Classes are kept small to insure interaction through discussions, as well as hands-on participation,” police said. “Therefore, applications are on a first-returned, first-processed basis.”

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