VERMILION PARISH, La. (KLFY) -- Starting this week, participants in the Vermilion Parish Sheriff's Office Citizen's Academy will get the chance to get a better look at what law enforcement work entails.

Twenty participants make up VPSO's first-ever Citizen's Academy. Sheriff Eddie Langlinais said while citizens learn about law enforcement, law enforcement will also be learning about citizen concerns.

Marla Dyson, one of the program participants and a resident of Vermilion Parish for more than 50 years, said she was immediately interested when she learned about the program on Facebook.

“I said, Yes, I think I want to do this and I think everybody should do it. It's important,” Dyson said.

Dyson said if people are able, they should participate in the program to put themselves in the shoes of a law enforcement officer.

“Walk in their shoes so you can appreciate the service that they do for us,” she said. “It's good for us to be aware of the training and I do think the sheriff and the sheriff's department put this on for citizens in order to show transparency this is what our officers have to go through as part of training in order to make those spur of the moment decisions that could be life-altering.” 

Langlinais believes the program is a great opportunity for citizens and law enforcement officers to come together and learn from each other.

“It'll give you an example of why law enforcement when they're making traffic stops, make a person get out of the car and approach them or why they make them stay in the car. Bottom line, it's all about safety for the law enforcement officer and the person that's in the car but unless we show them that and teach them that, that's going to be things that they just don't know," the sheriff said.

"So I think it's a perfect way to bridge that gap between the community and law enforcement," he continued.

The classes will be every Wednesday in September from 6-8 p.m. to teach about the sheriff's office operations. That includes patrol, investigation with the investigative support unit, and training with a virtual machine.

“It's going to give everybody an opportunity to see and hear directly from law enforcement what their job entails and it's going to be a learning experience for them as well,” the sheriff said.

Langlinais said he is excited about the upcoming Citizen's Academy, noting it was one of the things he wanted to do when he became sheriff.

"I wanted the people of Vermilion Parish to have the opportunity to come in and have that conversation with law enforcement and know that we're friends, not foes. I want them to make sure that they understand we're all on the same team," he said.

The Sheriff’s Office is taking applications for the Spring 2025 session. To apply, you can download and fill out the application on the VPSO website and click the “Citizen’s Academy” tab. Completed applications should be emailed to CA@VermilionSheriff.gov for submission.

A Sheriff’s Office representative will contact applicants upon receiving a successful background check and inform them of admission into the Citizen’s Academy.

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