SPRINGFIELD - The Springfield Police Department is accepting applications for its latest session of the Citizens Police Academy, which beings March 14 and runs for 10 weeks.

Free and open to Springfield residents age 18 and older, the academy allows citizens to learn about how the police department functions as a whole, and how individual officer perform their duties.

There are discussions about the different divisions, bureaus and units within the department, such as the Traffic Bureau, Narcotics, Crime Prevention, and Internal Affairs. There is also a focus on community policing, the criminal justice system, criminal law, the use of authority and the use of force.

The academy classes are held Wednesday from 6 - 9 p.m. at the Paul J. Fenton Public Safety Annex, 50 East Street.

For more information, contact the academy's coordinator, officer Kevin Ashworth, at 413 735-1566 or by email at KAshworth@SpringfieldPolice.net.

There is an application for interested parties on the Springfield police webpage