CITIZENS POLICE ACADEMY GIVES RESIDENTS AN INSIDE LOOK INTO THE MONROE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

Members of the sheriff’s SWAT team show equipment during a session in the Upper Keys. CONTRIBUTED

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office will hold its next Citizens Police Academy starting April 2025, and is looking for people who are interested in learning more about law enforcement and the sheriff’s office.

Classes will begin in April and will continue through May. There will be three separate academies — one each in the Lower, Middle and Upper Keys.

Attendees will be asked to commit to spending one night a week from 6 to 9 p.m., in addition to a graduation ceremony in Marathon.

Classes will be held in the individual district holding the academy and each will include about 15 attendees. In the Upper Keys, classes will meet on Tuesdays at the Roth Building on Plantation Key. In the Middle Keys, classes will meet on Wednesdays at the Sheriff’s Office Aviation Hangar in Marathon. In the Lower Keys, classes will meet on Thursdays at the Sheriff’s Office headquarters on Stock Island.

Sessions will include an orientation and introduction to patrol procedures; a tour of jail facilities; introduction to weapons: Simunitions and Taser; traffic/felony stops; crime scene investigations, including a hands-on mock crime scene; building searches; introduction to specialty units: Bomb, Dive, SWAT, Major Crimes, and Special Investigations.

Space is limited, so anyone interested should contact the captain in the area where they wish to attend. Applications are due by March 1, 2025. Contact Capt. Spenser Bryan, 305-853-3211 or sbryan@keysso.net; or Capt. Lissette Quintero, 305-664-6480 or lquintero@keysso.net for classes in the Upper Keys. For the Middle Keys, contact Capt. Derek Paul at 305-289-2430 or dpaul@keysso.net and for the Lower Keys, call or email Capt. David Smith at 305-745-3184 or desmith@keysso.net.