The Bentonville Police Department is accepting applications for its next Citizen’s Police Academy.

The program aims to build community ties and provide an “understanding of police procedures that are more reflective of everyday police work than what television and movies portray,” according to the program website. 

The program features a variety of presentations and demonstrations on topics like patrol operations, criminal investigations, SWAT, and digital forensics, with sessions held from 6-9 p.m. every Monday night for seven weeks starting Feb. 24.

Since the program started in 1999, hundreds of residents have participated in it.

Local resident Josh Goering participated in the last cohort and said the most impactful part of the program was a ride-along with officers. During the experience, he observed their interactions with the community and had the chance to “get to know the officers as human beings,” he said.

For Goering, the time commitment felt worth it. 

“It is a decent amount of time, but you also get to see a lot of different facets of the organization,” he said. “They have spokespeople from the SWAT team, from the bomb squad, from the legal department, from others … It’s a good amount of time, but I think it’s well worth it.” 

Applicants must be 18 or older and can submit applications via email to [email protected].