In a continuing program from the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO), you’ll ride in a police car and spend and evening at the local jail. But don’t worry. It’s all for educational purposes.
The GCSO’s next Citizens’ Law Enforcement Academy (CLEA) will begin March 21. Class sessions will be held each Tuesday thereafter until June 20.
The free 14-week program gives a first-hand and behind the scenes overview of how the local law enforcement agency functions. At press time, the sheriff’s office was still accepting applications from those wanting to take the course.
“We meet once a week on Tuesday night for three hours. Every night is different topic, and on the 14th week is the graduation,” said Lt. George Ellis, program coordinator.
There have been almost 200 CLEA graduates since the first sessions were held in 2011. The program was restarted last year after being on hold for 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s open to all Gilmer County residents age 21 and older, as well as business owners and citizens who work here.
“It’s been very successful and very well received. We intend to keep it going, and we love to see folks come in and go through the class,” said Sheriff Stacy Nicholson. “We like seeing the older and retired folks, but we don’t have as many young adults come through. We’d like to see more of those folks, too. If anyone’s interested, we’d love to have them.”
Nicholson and Ellis said one of the things that’s most surprised and impressed past class students is the amount of training the GCSO staff receives, as well as the amount of experience employees in the different departments have.
“The average citizen may think of us as a small agency, but, in reality, we’re a medium-sized agency if you look at the state of Georgia,’ said Nicholson. “Whether they already felt they were familiar with us or just moved here and wanted to learn more, what they learn about the professionalism of this agency is always a shock to (students in these classes).”
Most of the CLEA sessions are held at the Gilmer County Courthouse, but participants will visit with “every unit in the agency from top to bottom” during the three-and-a-half month timeframe, Ellis noted.
“They get a tour of the jail, a full ride along with the deputies and presentations from our deputies, CID and school resource officers. Not only do they get these presentations, they get to see the facilities,” he added. “Everything the sheriff’s office has that’s not privileged information, they have access to.”
At one time, there was high enough interest in the program that two or three separate CLEAs were held some years, Ellis noted. So far, only the one course is scheduled for 2023, and the sheriff’s office is hoping demand will still remain strong after last year’s successful reboot.
“The main thing that drives how we do it is demand. When we did the class last year, there was a bunch of people who signed up,” said Ellis. “We try not to do more than 15 people at a time in a class, but we’re pretty flexible with that. We try to be as accommodating as we can to folks, but once we get 15, if I get 10-12 more applications (after that), I’d rather put on another class (at a later date).”
Applications can be found on the Gilmer Sheriff’s Office website (GilmerSheriff.com). Ellis said one page of the application needs to be notarized before delivering the finished application to the GCSO’s courthouse location. All class members must also pass a criminal history check.
“It’s a quick check. We’ve actually let people in the class that have had prior arrests, but which were many years ago,” said Ellis.
The first night’s class at the courthouse starts at 6 p.m., while the rest will begin at 7 p.m. “The first night will be kind of an orientation,” Ellis said.