It’s that time of year again – the time when Guilford County residents interested in learning more about the Guilford County Sheriff’s Department have a perfect chance to do so.

In February, right after Valentine’s Day, the department that keeps the county safe is offering the “Sheriff’s Citizen Academy” to Guilford County residents so they can learn more about local law enforcement operations and the department’s internal processes.

Those classes, which will be held virtually using Zoom, will start on Thursday, Feb. 17. The course will run through Thursday, April 7, which will also be graduation night.

One stated goal of the Sheriff’s Citizen Academy is “to improve law enforcement/community relations through a formalized educational process.” 

The department has for years had the philosophy that, the more it does to get to know the residents and be seen in the community, the more understanding there will be between the public and officers. These days especially, when there are frequent confrontations between law enforcement and citizens, that understanding can be very helpful all around.

The Academy will present a wide variety of subjects in what’s essentially a condensed version of the standard training curriculum for new Sheriff’s Department deputies.

Promotional material for the course states, “By presenting this program, we hope to provide a broad educational experience which will acquaint attending citizens with the mission of sheriff’s personnel and the requirements of law to which officers must conform while carrying out their prescribed duties.”

Some of the goals are for county residents to “be able to make more informed judgments about the Sheriff’s Office and law enforcement activities,” and for officers to become “more aware of the feelings and concerns of the community, as expressed by attending citizens.”

The course material states, “Citizens and Sheriff’s representatives will have an opportunity to explore together some of the traditional suspicions and misconceptions generally harbored by both citizens and sheriff’s deputies. Through open discussion of such suspicions and misconceptions, a more harmonious climate for relationships may be established.”

The Academy will meet once a week on Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Again, this time around, the classes will be held virtually over Zoom.

Topics include the following:

  • Overview and Departments
  • Gun Violence/Gang Awareness
  • Legal Process
  • Working with K-9 officers (police dogs, that is)
  • Crime Scene Processing
  • Traffic Enforcement Unit Detention Overview

Anyone interested can apply at the Sheriff’s Department’s website at https://www.guilfordcountync.gov/our-county/sheriff-s-office or contact Sergeant A. Almonor at 336-641-5313 or aalmono@guilfordcountync.gov or officer D. Jackson at djackso3@guilfordcountnc.gov.

Snail mail inquiries can be made to:

Guilford County Sheriff’s Office

Attention: CRU, SGT. A. Almonor or Officer D. Jackson

400 West Washington St.

Greensboro, NC 27401