BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Community members now have the chance to look behind the curtain of the Burlington Police Department’s operations.
With the return of its Community Academy after the pandemic, Burlington police say they want to give people a hands-on opportunity to learn about how the department operates. Participants will interact with officers, take part in role-playing scenarios, and discuss the laws, principles and procedures of the daily life of an officer.
Chief John Murad says he hopes it will allow the community greater understanding.
“Sharing what we do in the police agency, learning from the community to hear from what it wants from its police agency because we are their cops. And also being able to say, ‘Hey, this is how we do our job, these are some of the reasons that we do what we do,’” said Murad.
The six-week session started Wednesday night and continues each Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. through Feb. 7. This session is already capped at 20 people, but Murad says there will be more opportunities to apply in the future.
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