Applications are being accepted for the 2019 Santa Barbara South County Sheriff’s Citizen’s Academy. The seven-week Academy begins Wednesday, April 10.

Classes will be held 6-9 p.m. every Wednesday through May 15 at various locations throughout the South County. A graduation celebration will take place on Saturday, May 18.

The 2019 Citizen’s Academy is co-hosted with the UCSB Police Department and is free. There are only 40 spots available, on a first come, first served basis. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age to participate and 100 percent attendance is required.

The Sheriff’s Citizen’s Academy is an opportunity for community members to get an exclusive, inside look at what the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office does on a daily basis to protect and serve its citizens.

The classes will include lectures and hands-on law enforcement training. The academy is scheduled to involve arrest and control, firearms, active-shooter response, building searches, a tour of the Main Jail, and presentations by the agency’s K9 Unit. There will also be a presentation by Sheriff Bill Brown.

Those who have questions about becoming a part of the Santa Barbara South County Sheriff’s Citizen’s Academy can email Sr. Deputy Dave Valadez at dmv4120@sbsheriff.org or call him at 805-669-8031.

To fill out an application, visit https://www.sbsheriff.org/about-us/community-outreach/citizens-academy/. E-mail completed applications to Valadez at dmv4120@sbsheriff.org, or drop off applications at the Sheriff’s Marketplace substation, 7042 Marketplace Drive, Goleta.

— Kelly Hoover for Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.