Registration is now open for the Cheyenne Police Department’s Citizens Police Academy.

The academy, which is free and open to the public, begins on February 1 and runs through April 12.

"The goal of it is to show citizens what it's like to be an officer (and) get the citizens to be more involved with the department," said Officer Kevin Malatesta.

Malatesta says the academy also features “hands-on” training sessions.

"There are a variety of classes taught by actual officers and those include narcotics, crime scene processing, constitutional law and criminal investigations," said Malatesta. "We do some firearms training, they get to have fun with the K9s (and) do the explosives."

Applicants must be at least 18 years old, agree to a background check, have a valid driver's license and sign a liability waiver. Citizens can apply online at http://www.cheyennepd.org/CPA.

Space is limited to 30 valid applicants.

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