Ever wanted to learn how to dust for fingerprints or clock a car’s speed with radar gun?

You can experience those skills, and lots more, during the 10-week course offered through the West Carrollton police department. The 11th annual Citizen Police Academy will begin on Thursday, Aug. 18.

The class is limited to 25 students, but is open to anyone who lives or works in West Carrollton. The police department encourages interested participants to call (937) 847-4670 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it as soon as possible.

The course covers topics ranging from traffic stops, dispatch communications, hostage negotiation, online predators, crash investigation and evidence collection. Each class is approximately 2 1/2 hours long and starts at 6:30 p.m. on Thursdays.

“That often seems like a long time to people at first, but each year, the students comment on how fast the time goes,” said Deputy Chief Doug Woodard.

Woodard is the program coordinator. A variety of officers and detectives from the department take turns teaching the courses.

“The course is a way to show our residents the variety of skills that our officers use on a day-to-day basis,” Woodard said.

“We try to make the class informative, yet fun,” said Police Chief Rick Barnhart. “It’s typical to take a group of strangers and turn them into a class of friends,” he said.

Barnhart said that many of the participants often end up volunteering for the department after graduation. “The course really gives us a better understanding of what each (citizen and officer) expects of each other,” he said.