The Office of Public Safety is in the process of creating a citizens police academy at Georgia Southern University that will be open to both students and staff.

The Citizens Police Academy will consist of some classroom instruction and hands-on learning.

“It will entail putting citizens through the different aspects of law enforcement,” Laura McCullough, GS police chief, said in an email.

These aspects will include:

• patrol duties
• use of force
• community policing
• a simulated shooting exercise
• criminal investigations
• drug investigations
• active shooter response

Alyssa Watrous, freshman history major, said she had a similar program in her hometown of Rome, GA.

“I think it would be helpful to for students who want to get involved,” Watrous said.

Public Safety is currently looking at different in-progress Citizens Police Academy programs at Statesboro PD and Georgia Tech PD as examples for the basics, but will custom-fit the citizens police academy for the GS campus.

The Citizens Police Academy is still in development at this time. Public Safety is hoping to begin the program in Fall Semester 2017 and will possibly have testing with a sample group this summer.