CLEVELAND – On Wednesday, Cuyahoga County Sheriff Clifford Pinkney and his staff congratulated all the citizens who participated in the inaugural Sheriff’s Department Citizen’s Academy.

“I want to thank all of the citizens that donated their time over the course of 8 weeks, to participate in our inaugural Sheriff’s Department Citizen’s Academy program,” said Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish. “I’d also like to thank Sheriff Pinkney, Captain Gerome, and all of the county staff that helped create this educational program for our residents.”

16 residents participated in this year’s academy, which included a mix of educators, public service employees, and retirees. The academy served as an educational program, designed to improve the community’s understanding of law enforcement, through a variety of hands-on demonstrations, lectures, and field trips.

“I’m incredibly thankful for our staff and the 16 residents that helped launch our first citizen’s academy. Their commitment, engagement, and feedback will help us continue to improve the program for years to come,” said Sheriff Pinkney.

The Citizen’s Academy is provided free of charge and open to all eligible residents of Cuyahoga County who are at least 21 years of age, and have no felony convictions. Classes are held once a week for 3 hours, and cover subjects such as human trafficking, jail operations, SWAT, and Crime Stoppers.

“The citizen’s academy was a great opportunity for everyday people to understand the inner workings of the Sheriff’s Department,” said Kimberly Loyed, Citizen’s Academy participant. “The classes were informative, fun, and the hospitality was excellent.”

For more information on the next citizen’s academy scheduled for Spring 2017, please visit:http://sheriff.cuyahogacounty.us/en-US/CC-Sheriffs-CitizensAcademy.aspx.