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Several years ago…about eight years actually, I had time to watch television in the evenings. Prime time was filled with law enforcement related programs – some close to the truth and some so far away from the truth.

If these types of programs peak your interest I think you would be a good fit at the 4th Annual St. John Sheriff’s Office Citizens Academy. To this date there have been 61 St. John Parish Citizens who have graduated from our academy. Some of the graduates have returned for other sessions.

The classes will be held every Thursday starting Apr. 23, and graduation is Thursday, June 25. The class hours vary but are typically 5:45 – 9 p.m. Dinner is sponsored for each session by one of our local restaurants.

Each class, the participants learn all the inside details of each department. The officers who are assigned to that department are the presenters. You will learn about hiring, firing, training, budgets and public relations. In the first annual class, most of the officers were hesitant and nervous about public speaking. Now, they are excited to present and there tends to be a bit of competition for bragging rights about who was the best presenter of the year.

Once you become a SJSO Citizen’s Academy graduate, your role in our department can expand as you see fit. Volunteerism has become infectious where graduates have participated in the SJSO Senior Citizens Dinner, the annual 4th of July Veterans luncheon. Graduates of the Academy are usually selected to sit on the committee to choose the SJSO Officer of the Year because of their increased understanding of what it takes to be an exemplary officer. I have also chosen some graduates to participate in disciplinary board hearing regarding complaints filed against deputies. In the future, I plan to choose graduates to participate in new applicant interviews, and plans for an SJSO Citizens Advisory Committee are in the works.

As Sheriff, I realize that citizens who are educated about what it takes to be a police officer are better equipped to educate others, which is always beneficial when it comes to the general public’s perception of “what they should have done”. On opening night, people come in with one mindset after their own personal interactions with law enforcement or their ideas about how some significant event could have been different and at graduation, they can easily tell a story of how their way of thinking has changed.

This is your law enforcement department. You deserve to understand the daily operations.

This month we will celebrate Mardi Gras! Tohwahpahsah Parade (aka, the Reserve Parade) will roll at noon on Saturday, Feb. 22. At 11 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 23, the DuMonde Parade will roll,  immediately followed by Krewe of Dagé.

In closing, Happy Valentine’s Day to all. Guys, don’t forget to get those flowers. This year, Tanyia and I will celebrate 30 years of marriage. All I can say is…happy wife is a happy life!!!

Mike Tregre is sheriff of St. John the Baptist Parish. Reach him at m.tregre@stjohnsheriff.org.