The Collin County Sheriff's Office will open its doors for the 22nd annual citizen’s academy Jan 26.

The 14-week course is designed to give participants an idea of the internal-operations carried out by the department. The course is open to anyone 18 years and older who works or lives within the county.

Candidates are required to complete an application and background check to determine eligibility. The $48 courses will be held every Tuesday from 7-10 p.m. at the Sheriff’s Office, 4300 Community Ave., McKinney.

Each week, a new aspect of the Collin County Sheriff's Office will be discussed, tours of the award-winning detention facility, 2 demonstrations by the tactical team, dive team and K-9 unit, will be  presented by a wide range of speakers.

Topics include narcotics and crime scene investigation, traffic enforcement, homeland security and school resource programs.

“The academy is a great opportunity for the citizens to see how the Sheriff’s Office functions,” Crime Prevention Deputy Brent Collins said in a news release. “The students enjoy learning how the law enforcement side works, including everything from how we train officers to use their firearms to the inmate work program that grows its own food served in the jail.”

The goal of the academy is to inform participants by increasing law enforcement awareness while dispelling misconceptions. In addition to educating participants sheriff's office officials said the sheriff's office also benefits from the academy through feedback and interaction with participants in the citizen’s academy, and the office becomes more aware of the concerns of the community.

“A lot of people know we have an award-winning detention facility to house the inmates in Collin County,” Collins said in a news release. “What they might not know is that we are different from a regular jail where offenders are locked in a cell. We utilize the direct supervision method of incarceration. Entities from around the state and country tour our jail to learn how it operates.

For more information about the Collin County Sheriff’s Office Citizens Academy, contact Deputy Brent Collins at 972-547-5184, [email protected], or Deputy Stefanie Foster, 972-547-5185, [email protected].