By Alexa Epitropoulos | aepitropoulos@alextimes.com 

The city will offer half-day sessions of its Community Police Academy program this winter, following up on the popularity of its ten-week-long class.

The academy, available to those who work or live in the city, focuses on a range of issues related to the Alexandria Police Department, including patrol operations, the K9 Unit, Special Operations Team, crime scene investigation, criminal investigations and use of force policies.

The class seeks to build a better relationship between the public and the police department. The goal of the class is to enable participants to make “more informed judgments about APD and its daily operations,” while giving local police insight into the public’s views and concerns. 

The class is limited to 45 participants per session, and those who apply to take the class are required to be at least 18 years of age to participate. Criminal history checks are conducted on all applicants for final acceptance.

The two half-day sessions will be offered at Alexandria Police Department headquarters at 3600 Wheeler Ave. from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Jan. 27, 2018 and Feb. 17, 2018. Sessions begin with registration at 8:30 a.m.