[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4352]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        RECOGNIZING CHARLES CITY, IOWA, CITIZENS POLICE ACADEMY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LATHAM

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 13, 2008

  Mr. LATHAM. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and congratulate 
the Charles City Police Department and the graduates of the first ever 
Charles City, Iowa, Citizens Police Academy.
   On November 13, 2007, seventeen residents of Charles City graduated 
from the first Charles City Citizens Police Academy, a ten week program 
facilitated by the Charles City Police Department and North Iowa Area 
Community College. The Charles City police officers took time to study 
specific aspects of police work and polished their presentation skills 
before instructing the classes. The Academy participants learned about 
the rigorous education and training police officers go through to do 
their jobs effectively. They also gained knowledge in various topics 
including; handling stressful situations, law enforcement operations, 
jurisdiction, the use of force and liability, terrorism training, and 
self-defense techniques.
   This inaugural program has helped citizens better understand all 
that police do to protect and serve communities and has brought the 
police and citizens of Charles City closer together. The Academy is a 
characteristic of what Iowa is all about--regular citizens motivated to 
protect and cooperate with one another for the betterment of their 
communities.
   I know that my colleagues in the United States Congress join me in 
commending and congratulating the Charles City Citizens Police Academy 
and Charles City Police Chief, Mike Wendel. I consider it an honor to 
represent each member of the Academy and the Charles City Police 
Department in the U.S. Congress, and I wish them all the best as they 
work together to make Charles City a safer place.

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