Beginning next month the Salisbury Police Department will expand its community oriented policing efforts to include a quarterly informational series entitled, “Community Classroom.” Community Classroom is an interactive educational session for citizens, age 16 and up, which is taught by Salisbury police officers. The sessions are designed to provide education and insight into the various aspects of police work specific to the Salisbury community. Topics include: arrest, search, and seizure laws, decision making and the police use of force, crime scene investigations, and police-citizen interactions during traffic stops.

“The goal of this program is to give citizens an ‘inside look’ into police operations and our efforts to increase citizen satisfaction with police services,” stated Chief Jerry Stokes. “We are committed to transparency in both information and operations. Our goal is to create a community of ‘citizen-police officers’ that will partner with us to reduce crime in our city.”

The first class (arrest, search, and seizure laws) will be held Saturday, Nov. 4, from 10 a.m.to 1 p.m. at the Salisbury Police Station located at 130 East Liberty Street. To apply for a class go to salisburync.gov/communityclassroom or call a member of the police department’s community resource team at (704) 638-2092. A representative from the police department will confirm each attendee.

For media inquiries contact Deputy Chief Shon F. Barnes at shon.barnes@salisburync.gov