Applications for this year's "Public Safety Citizens Academy" are due to the Plymouth Police Department by Aug. 30. The free 12-week course meets 6:30-9:30 p.m. Thursdays, beginning Sept. 12. Click here to apply.

This 36-hour course is geared toward expanding public knowledge of the Police and Fire departments. Each week, a different aspect of the Police Department will be featured through lectures and hands-on demonstrations; one week will be dedicated to Fire Department operations. Last year’s curriculum included the history and evolution of policing, patrol operations, investigations, emergency communications, police tactics and use of force, a K-9 demonstration, narcotics, SWAT, the DWI process, public safety education, crime prevention efforts and decision shooting scenarios.

For more information, call Community Relations Officer Jim Long at 763-509-5135. Applicants must be 18 years old and live, work or own a business in Plymouth. Space is limited to the first 30 eligible applicants; all participants must pass a background check. A prior criminal conviction will not automatically disqualify an applicant.