Citizen's Academy

Every year, the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office offers a free 12‐week program for residents of Snohomish County interested in learning about their local law enforcement.

Classes are held Wednesday evenings (6-9:30 p.m.) with two weekend field trips. The program includes classroom training by patrol deputies, detectives and corrections deputies for hands‐on participation:

K-9 enforcement
Drugs and gangs
Crime scene technology
Search and rescue
Special weapons and tactics (SWAT)
Gun range
911 and dispatch
Major crime investigations
Patrol procedures and equipment
Jail cell extraction
Traffic operations
Vehicle collision investigations
Child abuse and crimes against children
Jail operations

A background check is required for all participants. Interested in applying? Download an application today (PDF)!

Testimonials from past Citizen's Academy participants

I had the honor of attending the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Department Citizens Academy held in East County from February to May of 2014. It was an amazing experience!

So often law enforcement is portrayed in the media as being this impenetrable monolithic structure, which is just not the case. They are human beings! Law enforcement officers are husbands, wives, sons, daughters, moms, dads, sisters, brothers and neighbors. They have struggles, they have good days and they have bad days, just like everyone else.

I think, if given the opportunity, everybody should attend a Citizens Academy. It was an amazing and eye-opening experience that everyone could benefit from.

-Chris Hendrickson

The old adage, “If people don’t vote, they don’t have the right to gripe,” applies to the Citizen’s Academy. You want to attend so you know the real side and the barriers law enforcement has. Then you can gripe or do something about it. Our academy was FANTASTIC. It approached all sides of law enforcement, including arrest, prosecution, conviction.

-George Barnes