15 Stratford residents to attend citizen police academy

A small group of citizens in Stratford are learning what it takes to be a police officer as they participate in that city's first citizen police academy. 

"This is a great opportunity to just showcase a lot of the things that we do that people have no idea about," Chief of Police Mike Bellai told CBC News. 

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The 15 participants will learn everything from how to investigate a crime scene to how to de-escalate tense situations.

"A lot of things that people just never see," Bellai said. "You see the crews driving by and a lot of people wonder, 'Gee, I wonder what the police officer is doing?'"

He added, "I think this is a good give-back, to show them that this is what we do every day. This is how we serve our community."

Besides giving members of the community the opportunity to learn about policing, Bellai said the academy also gives officers the chance to talk about what they're passionate about. 

"Police officers are terrible at marketing themselves," he said. "We just kind of carry on and do our thing ... We just do it because we do it."

The academy begins April 6 and will run every Wednesday evening until June.