Citizen police a bust

Perrysburg Twp. Citizen Police Academy fails to draw enough interest

3/5/2014

Editor's note: This article corrects that the sponsorship for the Perrysburg Area Historic Museum would cost $15,000.

For the second consecutive year, the Perrysburg Township Citizen Police Academy failed to draw enough interest for classes to be offered.

Police Chief Mark Hetrick said Wednesday that plans for a 2014 academy were canceled because only five people signed up for it.

The academy was last held in 2012. It had 12 graduates that year.

The nine-week academy teaches citizens about road patrol, laws governing police, including use of taser guns, and life-supporting techniques such as cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, better known as CPR.

There also is a session set aside for learning how to use weapons at a gun range.

Chief Hetrick said the department might try to offer a series of public lectures instead of the academy this year.

In other action, township trustees agreed to consider helping the Perrysburg Area Historic Museum, Inc. include a special room for the township's history in its plans for a future museum.

The sponsorship would cost $15,000. Trustees said they may consider putting that in the township's budget next year, or $5,000 this year and $10,000 next year.

"We've worked to keep the budget down this year and we've asked department heads to keep the budget down this year so we need to do the same," Trustee Gary Britten said. "We should support them next year."

The Perrysburg Area Historic Museum is planned for 27340 West River Road.