The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office will be holding its next Citizens Police Academies starting in April 2024, and the agency is looking for people who are interested in learning more about law enforcement and the Sheriff’s Office.
Classes will begin the week of April 2, 2024, and will continue through graduation the week of May 21, 2024. 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 between 6 and 9 p.m. in addition to the graduation ceremony in Marathon.
Classes will be held in the individual district holding the academy and 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 building on Stock Island.
Classes 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 2, 2024.
- Lower Keys: Capt. David Smith, 305-745-3184 or desmith@keysso.net
- Middle Keys: Lt. Lissette Quintero, 305-289-2430 or lquintero@keysso.net
- Upper Keys: Capt. Spenser Bryan, 305-853-3211 or sbryan@keysso.net; or Capt. Derek Paul, 305-664-6480 or dpaul@keysso.net
