Citizens graduate Sheriff's Office program

The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office graduated 22 people from the 40th class of the Citizens Law Enforcement Academy (CLEA) during a Thursday ceremony.

CLEA is an 11-week course that gives citizens an inside look at sheriff's operations ranging from jail operations, criminal investigations, SWAT teams and forensics. The course also includes a ridealong with a deputy and firearms training, as well as demonstrations by K-9 and mounted patrol units.

The Sheriff's Office runs the CLEA program twice a year, graduating more than 800 people over 20 years. The next class runs in spring 2014 — applications are full, but the fall class, which begins next August, still has spots available.

To sign up, visit the Sarasota Sheriff's website and click on the "get involved" tab.

Contact Nolan Peterson at [email protected]