Storey County Sheriff’s Office Citizens Academy Gives Residents Inside Look at Law Enforcement
Residents of Storey County got a firsthand look at law enforcement this spring through the Storey County Sheriff’s Office Citizens Academy, a six-week program designed to give community members an up-close understanding of the sheriff’s office operations.
“We started the Citizens Academy to be transparent and accessible, and to give people a real understanding of what our deputies do every day,” said Sheriff Mike Cullen. “Law enforcement can be very different from one jurisdiction to another, and I wanted residents to see firsthand the training, responsibilities, and quick thinking required in our office.”
The program, held on Sundays from March 8 through April 12, takes participants through a variety of classes and activities, including tours of the detention center, dispatch, traffic enforcement exercises, search and rescue, investigations, and K9 demonstrations.
The academy was developed to give residents a clearer understanding of how the sheriff’s office operates while addressing common questions and misconceptions about law enforcement.
“The idea was to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the community,” said Brooke Beaumont, a Lieutenant in the Patrol Division of the Sheriff’s Office, who helped organize the program. “We wanted to give citizens an overview of the department, including our specialty units, while also making it engaging and informative. It’s a lot of information in a six-week period, but it really highlights the major facets of what we do.”
Each session combines presentations with hands-on experiences. Participants begin with an overview of the sheriff’s office, the district attorney’s office, and the court system, including activities in the jail and dispatch center. Later sessions focus on traffic stops, accident investigations, tactical medicine, search and rescue operations, and the sheriff’s special units.
“The Citizens Academy is a chance to see the inside of law enforcement, their training, and what they go through every day,” said Denise Victorine, a Storey County resident and current participant. “You get a little taste of it, and hopefully everyone comes away with a little more respect for what they do.”
Victorine said she suggested restarting the academy to Cullen while he was running for office.
“I said, if you’re elected, can you maybe think of starting the Citizens Academy?” she recalled. “He said he would love to. And it’s really cool to see it happen.”
For Kyoshi Mendonca, another participant in this year’s program, Citizens Academy offered a closer look at a potential career path.
“I figured it’d be a good insight into what they deal with, some of their training and tactics,” Mendonca said. “The program has been really good and very informational, and it was surprisingly varied. The classes we’ve had in just three or four weeks have covered so much.”
Each session combined presentations with hands-on experiences. Participants began with an overview of the sheriff’s office, the district attorney’s office, and the court system, including activities in the jail and dispatch center. Later sessions focused on traffic stops, accident investigations, tactical medicine, search and rescue operations, and the sheriff’s special units.
The program also aims to strengthen relationships between deputies and the community.
“It humanizes law enforcement and gives us a chance to show not only our dedication to protecting the community, but our human side too,” Beaumont said. “There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes knowledge and responsibility that people don’t always see.”
One highlight includes “force on force” scenarios, giving participants a chance to observe real-life law enforcement decision-making in controlled settings.
“That session really got the class out of their comfort zone,” Beaumont said. “Watching them work through situations they had very little knowledge of and make decisions in the moment was impactful. I was proud of everyone for giving it their all.”
Another session features a demonstration by the K9 unit, showing how deputies work with dogs to detect narcotics and respond to incidents. The program concludes with a graduation ceremony at Virginia City High School.
“We want people to walk away from this program with a better understanding of what we do and why we do it,” Cullen said. “At the end of the day, this is about building trust and making sure our community knows we’re here to serve them.”
Storey County residents interested in future sessions of the Citizens Academy can contact the Storey County Sheriff’s Office for information on enrollment and scheduling.
The program continues to provide a bridge between law enforcement and the community, helping residents gain insight into the challenges and responsibilities of those who protect and serve.
