Following a successful return of the citizen’s academy early in 2023, the police departments of Aberdeen, Cosmopolis and Hoquiam will work in concert once more to host the 14-week academy for area residents beginning in January.

This year’s class follows on a good 2023 iteration, said Lt. Jeff Salstrom of the Hoquiam Police Department, as police seek to demystify the somewhat opaque world of policing and engage with residents in a different way.

“It went really well. We had really good feedback from the people who were involved,” Salstrom said. “It’s a great opportunity for people to see the why of what law enforcement does.”

The class covers topics like the working dogs, investigations, counter-drug operations and patrolling, as well as scheduling times for activities like going to the shooting range and driving patrol vehicles, Salstrom said.

“The three departments, because we share borders, work together all the time,” Salstrom said in an interview. “We’re very cooperative. Grays Harbor law enforcement is very unique here in how we work together.”

Officers from all three departments will take part, Salstrom said, playing to their strengths as they teach different sections.

“We’ll try to get a lot of different officers involved. People have changed roles since last year,” Salstrom said. “Classes will be held primarily in Hoquiam this year.”

There are 25 seats available in the class, same as last year, Salstrom said. There’s quite a variety of applicants, Salstrom said.

“It was a very diverse crowd. We had representation from city council to citizens, teachers, retired folks, to someone have dealings with who turned his life around, to high school kids,” Salstrom said of last year’s class. “It was neat having them in there. It’s neat to have a wide range of ages and life experiences in the class. The questions they ask are different. It’s fun to be challenged by people asking questions.”

The class is free, Salstrom said; applicants must be residents of one of the three cities, 18 years or older, and have no felony record or domestic violence convictions. Applications are online on the department websites.

Contact Senior Reporter Michael S. Lockett at 757-621-1197 or mlockett@thedailyworld.com.