A program invented during the 1970s in England before spreading to the United States in 1985 is now putting Flathead County residents in the shoes of those who have sworn to serve and protect them.

Citizens’ police academy programs aim to give ordinary people an insider’s look at how law enforcement officers do their job, from traffic duty to homicide investigations. The Sheriff’s Citizens’ Academy run by the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office — first launched under Sheriff Jim Dupont and resurrected last year by Sheriff Chuck Curry — is no exception.

Not only does the 10-week course give participants background knowledge provided by that insider’s look, but also the opportunity to try their hand at some of the more exciting aspects of police work — driving fast and shooting guns.

Of the two classes that are fully hands-on, the first is at the wheel of a retired police cruiser on an obstacle course. That portion of the most recent academy was held at Glacier Park International Airport.

Participants were first given tips on straight-line braking and shuffle steering — steering using only the bottom portion of the steering wheel without crossing their hands from one side to the other. Then they had to maneuver through two sets of cones.

In the first set, they drove serpentine through a straight line of cones before turning around and going through a slalom. The second set required driving in reverse, both serpentine and through turns.

Drivers were told to go as fast as they wanted in both courses, an encouragement that led to white knuckles for some and huge grins for all.

One of the last classes in the course is a day at the office’s shooting range, also on the airport grounds. In addition to learning a small handful of the latest law enforcement firearms techniques, participants had the opportunity to try a variety of weapons, from .22-caliber to .45-caliber and 9 millimeter handguns, a pair of assault rifles and a shotgun.

Another high point of the course comes early, when SWAT team leader Brian Heino walks the class through the tools and tactics used by the team, followed by a live demonstration. The action doesn’t stop with the end of the course either, as participants are encouraged to sign up to do ride-alongs with deputies.

But while the high-action classes may be the most popular, equally important is the information gleaned through the course. Participants learn about budgetary issues, investigation procedure, patrol objectives and the relationship between law enforcement and the county attorney’s office.

Some of the information is expected, while some is eye-opening — such as the fact that only two animal control officers are on duty each day but respond to more than 500 calls each month; that the sheriff’s office spends roughly $60,000 annually on cellphones, cellphone service and wireless cards; or that city police have jurisdiction five miles outside incorporated city limits.

But Curry said the course isn’t just about educating citizens.

“The purpose of the citizens’ academy is twofold,” he said. “It’s not just so citizens can learn more about the sheriff’s office but also so the sheriff’s office can get better input from the community.

“We’ve run two classes now in the last year, and I think it’s been really successful, certainly in the feedback aspect.”

In conjunction with the rebirth of the course and to aid in its creation, Curry created a community resource deputy position, currently held by Travis Bruyer. Bruyer is tasked with coordinating the office’s outreach efforts and serving as administrator of its website.

Through his role, Bruyer — along with help from Patrol Commander Calvin Beringer — led the academy, although each section of the course was taught by a different person.

“I think I’ve probably got the best job,” Bruyer said. “I enjoy teaching certain parts of the class, but being kind of the lead in it is a neat experience, because I’m the one that gets the phone calls, gets a lot of the questions.”

Bruyer is already receiving emails almost every day from the most recent program, which wrapped up at the end of May. He said he also still gets emails and calls from people who participated in the trial version of the program, held last year.

Those connections, he said, are part of what makes the program so fulfilling and so successful.

“You walk away from it knowing 20 more people a little bit more intimately,” Bruyer said. “I have 20 more friends in this community, 20 more people I can bounce ideas off of, people I have trust with. I think that’s what’s great about it.”

He was also encouraged by the fact that he did not have to seek out teachers for the different classes.

“Most of our instructors volunteered,” Bruyer said. “They actually came to myself and Commander Beringer. I didn’t have to go out and solicit help.”

Although there are not yet any specific plans for changes to the course, Curry said its content is the subject of regular discussions.

“We’re looking at any changes that will make it better, more interesting. We’re constantly evaluating that,” he said. “Obviously in this short of a time frame, we can’t cover every division in the office.”

Bruyer said the course material is set at this point and that they know it is moving in the right direction.

“At first we didn’t know what things we wanted to expose to the public, but now with this [most recent] group, I think everything is set,” he said.

“We know that we want to have them driving cars. We know we want to take them to the range, to tour the 911 Center, tour the corrections side of the house.”

Bruyer did, however, have some ideas on how he would like to expand the program or reach out to different parts of the community. For example, he said he would like to run a four-week version of the program during the summer for a younger audience.

“And there are all kinds of citizens’ academies throughout the country,” he said. “There are academies specific to the patrol side of things, academies on just the drug culture side of things. There are different ways that this thing could branch off.”

For now, it is just a matter of meeting the already high demand for the course. The academy has been limited to roughly 20 students per class, and the most recent class was chosen from between 40 and 50 applicants. Both Curry and Bruyer said there is a possibility class sizes could expand in the future.

The next program is planned for early this fall. Applicants for the program must be at least 18 years old, live or work in Flathead County and have no criminal record. All applications are reviewed, and background checks are run on all applicants.

Application information is available on the sheriff’s office website at flatheadcountysheriff.com by clicking “Programs and Services” at the top and then selecting the academy from the list, or by contacting Bruyer at 758-5602 or tbruyer@flathead.mt.gov.