COLUMBUS, Neb. -- A police department in Platte County is preparing for an annual program.

The Columbus Police Department's Citizens' Police Academy begins on February 22nd.

Participants will have the opportunity to learn more about the ins and outs of the police department.

 "Our goal is to inform the public," said academy organizer Sgt. Brad Wangler. "There's often a lot of questions as to why law enforcement does something, "why do they do this, why do they do that?" This class is the perfect opportunity for somebody to come in, sit down with law enforcement and say that and ask, "why do you do this and why does it happen this way" and to get a better understanding of the complexity of this job."

CPD began the program around 20 years ago.

Classes are once a week until April 15th.

Topics of instruction include hiring practices, use of force, and criminal investigations.

Sgt. Wangler said that attendees enjoy the experience and take away a lot from their time with officers.

"To my experience, everybody that has participated in the Citizens' Police Academy over the years has talked about how much they enjoyed the experience, how educational it was, how they were able to understand better why things are done," he said.

During the last two classes, participants will be able to drive a police car and spend time at the range with officers.

Classes are every Wednesday from six to nine p.m. and the deadline to sign up is February 8th.

You can register in person at the police department or visit this link.