Crime Lab to be part of JCSO Citizen's Academy

I have to admit that one of the nights I am most looking forward to in the Citizen's Academy is the evening we will spend at the Crime Lab.

The Sheriff's Office will be relocating their crime lab from Mission to 119th Street near Ridgeview Road in Olathe in the next few weeks.  For a sneak peak in to the lab view this story by kctv5:  http://www.kctv5.com/story/16995775/csi-johnson-county.  There will be a dedication ceremony at 10am on March 2 to include tours of the lab starting at 11am.

One of the biggest reasons why I chose to attend the Citizen's Academy through JCSO instead of another agency is because of some of the interactions I have had with JCSO.  I previously posted about an encounter with a deputy.  What I didn't mention is that through my job I am also responsible for research and one of the things that we follow is the drugs people consume legally and illegally.  The company I work for provides drug testing services for area employers.  When synthetic drugs such as K2, Spice, etc hit the streets I was unable to find any information about the contents of the drugs and if testing for the compounds in the drugs was available.  I came across an article in the news about JCSO trying to get the synthetic drugs banned so that they could not be sold in convenience stores, etc.  I contacted JCSO through their Public Information Officer and was put in contact with the Crime Lab.  They have been a tremendous resource for me and the company I work for.  I can't wait to tour the Crime Lab and hopefully put faces to names.  I appreciate the assistance I get every time I contact JCSO with a question.  It definitely influenced my decision as to what Citizen's Academy I wanted to attend.

Why do I want to attend the Citizen's Academy?

The Citizen's Academy starts next week.  I was talking to a coworker earlier this week and he asked me, "Why do you want to do that?"  And it dawned on me that I started this blog and haven't answered that question.  Doh!!!  (Gotta love Homer Simpson!)
 
Well, that's actually a good question.  You see, I have become quite the cop magnet lately so some might wonder why I would voluntarily walk in to the Sheriff's Office (or any Police Department for that matter).  Mind you, I have not involuntarily walked in either!  I have never been arrested (I should probably go knock on wood or something...) but I do tend to get stopped for traffic violations a lot!  Next Tuesday will be the first time I step foot in the Operations Building at the Sheriff's Office. 

I have been to the Civil Division before but that shouldn't surprise anyone who knows me since I have a bad habit of not renewing my license plate tag on time.  (My tag is current in case any leo's are reading this!)  That habit caught up with me a few years ago when I had an encounter with one of their deputies who is specifically tasked with vehicle registration enforcement.  Oops!  (If it's possible to say I had a "good" encounter with a leo, I guess that encounter is it!)  In order to attend a Citizen's Academy you must live or work in the jurisdiction of the agency you want to attend.  So, because of my job I actually had the opportunity to choose from several agencies.  I ultimately applied to attend JCSO because it's on Tuesday night instead of Thursday that many of the other agencies offer  (Thursday night presents a conflict for me...)  but also because the positive interaction with the JCSO deputy got me interested in learning more about their office instead of a different department. 

Now that I have gotten sidetracked let's get back to the main reason why I am attending the Citizen's Academy.  I have worked in healthcare for over 20 years.  Most of that has been in Preventive Medicine.  I am a Certified Exercise Specialist and as part of my job responsibilities over the years I have been doing stress testing and physical agility testing on leo's.  Many times I have been asked to do a ride-a-long with a leo so that I would have a better understanding of their job.  I have declined to do it mostly because many of the previous interactions with leos' have been negative (traffic stops).  Last year, after going out and doing some testing at a local department the ride-a-long topic came up again.  Since I oversee our stress testing program I thought it might be a good idea if I comply with the request to do a ride-a-long.  The more I thought about it though, the more I wanted to learn about the job as a whole and not just traffic stops so I looked in to the idea of attending a citizens academy. 

Well, a year later my name finally came up.  I have many times wondered why someone would want to be a leo.  I have several friends that are leo's in different capacities.   I think it will be interesting to learn what they do.   I am looking forward to attending the Academy.  If you want to know what's included in a Citizen's Academy, check back weekly.  First class is next Tuesday.  I know if I don't blog about it one of my neighbors who is a leo will be harassing me.  What was I thinking telling her I was going to attend the academy?  :)

Interested in attending the JCSO Citizen's Academy?

The Sheriff's Citizens Academy consists of a twelve (12) week program which gives our community first hand information concerning the role of the Johnson County Sheriff's Office. Unfortunately, no more than twenty (20) participants can be accommodated per academy. The Academy meets every Tuesday evening from 6:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Fred Allenbrand Criminal Justice Center, Sheriff's Office Operations Building, located at 27747 West 159th Street, New Century, Kansas. The academy is free of charge and involves interactive instruction through both classroom presentations and field experience.  To register visit the Johnson County Sheriff's Office webpage at:

http://www.jocosheriff.org/

There's a short application to fill out.  Expect to have a background check completed and to provide a reference.  Approved applicants will be placed on a waiting list for academy openings.

Start date of JCSO Citizens Academy...

The start date for the Citizen's Academy is February 28.  I don't yet know the agenda since it will be provided that night.  My goal is to post about each session that I attend.  Will provide photos as allowed.

JOCO Sheriff's Office

Courthouse and Civil Division

125 N. Cherry St.
Olathe, Kansas 66061
913-791-5800

Operations Center

27747 West 159th Street

New Century, KS 66031

913-715-5400

JCSO Citizen's Academy Acceptance Letter

Received notice yesterday that my name has finally come up to attend the Citizen's Academy through the Johnson County (KS) Sheriff's Office. Academy starts in late Feb.  Plan on using this blog to recap what each session is about. Academy lasts 12 weeks so expect to see approximately 12 entries about it here. It's been a long wait... applied last January and just now got my name called. I guess it's a popular program. Hope it's popular enough people will be interested in reading my recaps!