Last year’s citizen’s police academy transformed one of Ursula Keith’s biggest fears into one of her best experiences.

The branch officer for the LCNB on Clarence F. Warner Drive literally cried after she put on a bullet-proof vest and given a loaded weapon.

“I was completely terrified,” she said. “I never held a gun, never shot a gun before.”

They officers talked her through her fear because “they wanted you to do it, they wanted you to experience it for yourself.”

Once she squeezed the trigger for the first time, she was fine. Now she and her husband, Billy Keith, are taking CCW classes.

The 17th annual Monroe Citizens Police Academy class is set to begin March 6, and continue for 13 weeks from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. every Wednesday at the Monroe City Building, 233 S. Main St.

“It’s a great experience for our residents because they can see how their police department operates,” said Lt. Brian Curlis. “You can see how your tax dollars are being spent, and they can have a better understanding of how that whole process work.”

Participants can miss up to three classes and still earn a certificate, but even if more than three are missed, Curlis said it’s worth the time to attend.

It allows people to understand the kinds of crimes the city has, and that police work is a lot more paperwork than the action-packed cop dramas on television and in the movies, he said.

While it allows people to become more involved in the community, Curlis said “it creates a partnership with the people.

“Without the people in the community to report crimes to us, we wouldn’t be as successful as we are,” he said. “Monroe is a great community, and we do a great job in policing the community but it’s because of the people that report stuff to us.”

Classes include things like running radar and lasers for traffic, crime scenes, criminal investigations, traffic stops, police car ride-alongs, and the firing range at Butler Tech.

“It was a very enriching experience,” Keith said. “It allowed me to appreciate their job at a higher level.”