BCSO opens free 16-week Citizen Academy for residents May 12

Residents who want a closer look at how the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office operates will get one starting May 12, when the agency opens a free 16-week Citizen Academy at its Regional Training Academy in Albuquerque.

The program meets once a week on Tuesdays from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and is designed to educate, connect and build trust between the sheriff’s office and the public. BCSO says the academy gives participants an inside view of how the largest county law enforcement agency in New Mexico works, with sessions that include K-9 units, virtual reality technology and the emergency response team. Participants may also visit the hangar and have the chance to ride along with deputies.

The academy is not new to Bernalillo County. KOAT reported that the first class launched in 2013, making the May 12 session part of a recurring community outreach effort that has returned for years. Sgt. Anthony Allen said the program helps clear up community unknowns about what deputies do and how they do it, while giving residents a chance to ask questions directly and see the work firsthand.

Applicants must be at least 18 years old and pass a background check. BCSO’s posted eligibility rules also say applicants cannot have felony convictions or misdemeanor or DWI arrests within the past three years, and they must complete an application and waiver of liability.

BCSO lists the training site as the Regional Training Academy at 3801 Broadway Blvd SE in Albuquerque. For residents who want more than a briefing and want to see the machinery of county policing from the inside, the academy offers one of the clearest public windows into the sheriff’s office’s daily work and specialized units.