Citizen's Sheriff Academy

The Shelby County Citizens Sheriff's Academy provides you with an opportunity to experience the real world of law enforcement and what it is like to be a Sheriffs Deputy. It is designed to help the public better understand the mission, operations, and functions of the Sheriff's Office, heighten community awareness, and improve communications between the Shelby County Sheriff's Office and the communities it serves.

Through presentations and demonstrations from the deputies themselves, you will learn some of the techniques and resources they use to train for duty, from traffic stops, to drug enforcement, to tactical team response. In addition to classroom instruction, you will experience live scenarios that place you right in the action. The Shelby County Sheriff's Office Tactical Response Unit will demonstrate situations that they are trained to handle. From the planning stage through execution you will see how they prepare for a mission and why they use the methods and techniques they use.

Course Components

You will get the opportunity to see up close, some of the weapons used by the Shelby County Sheriff's Office and what it takes to use them effectively. An opportunity to "ride along" on patrol with a Deputy will also be included in the Academy. Plus, you will see videos of real-life situations encountered by law enforcement officers, that cause you to rethink what it means for a deputy to respond to any situation, and help you gain a realistic understanding of the knowledge and skills it takes to do the job of a Sheriff's Deputy.

Course Topics

Course topics Include:

  • Patrol Division Overview
  • Alabama Firearms Laws and Safety Training
  • Corrections
  • Criminal Investigations
  • Drug Task Force
  • Laws and the Court System
  • Sheriff's Office Organization and Staffing
  • Special Units
  • Tactical Response Unit
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3

Course Standards

This course includes 18 plus hours of instruction. The class meets one night per week, for 8 consecutive weeks 6:30 to 9 p.m. on Thursday of each week, and one Saturday session from 8 a.m. to Noon, where students will receive basic firearms safety training and will have the opportunity to use the Sheriff's Office firearms range. 

Regular and on-time attendance is expected, however, emergencies may occur. Students with more than 2 absences will not be allowed to continue in the class.

Dress code is business casual for every class. (No shorts or t-shirts.)

Requirements

Participants must be 18 years of age older, and live and/or work in Shelby County.

Due to the nature of the academy and activities presented, all applicants are subject to criminal history background checks, as well as driver history checks conducted by the Sheriff's Office as a condition for acceptance into the program.

Contact Us

Class size will be limited so please respond promptly. If you have any questions, please call Deputy John Baggett at 205-670-6321 or send an email at jbaggett@shelbyso.com.

Thank you for your interest in our Citizens Sheriff's Academy.

Click here to view available classes...