Thirty-nine citizens were awarded certificates Thursday for having completed the 12-week Warwick Citizens’ Police Academy, a free program run by police to orient the public with the work of the department. It was one of the largest groups to complete the academy that has completed 30 sessions.

During the program run Thursday nights from 6 to 9 and on three Saturday mornings, participants learn the history of the department, see its operations, drive a police cruiser, spend a day on the firing range and are certified in CPR. They also get to hear from agencies and officials the department interacts with including the state medical examiner, who details how that office investigates a case.

Academy members get to follow as officers work through a mock crime scene and meet and talk with members of the police SWAT, bomb squad, canine and dive teams. Officer Dan Maggiacomo, who runs the program, finds participants anxious to learn about the department.

For Maribeth Gardiner, the academy was an eye-opener.

She said she learned how to take fingerprints, identify blood and fire a pistol. What surprised her was the amount of hands-on activities. She was impressed by the persistent attention to safety.

“It’s very dangerous,” she said of police work. “When they go out, they have to be on guard all the time. Nothing is routine, its different all the time.”

During the course of the program, academy members drive a police cruiser at the high-speed obstacle-training course at Quonset.

Maggiacomo said most academies involve 20 to 25 students. He is hopeful of starting another academy this fall. He said he would get out the word in late July or early August on the department website, through press releases and on social media. Applicants must be at least 18 years old, without a criminal record and preferably a Warwick resident. Maggiacomo said some non-residents, usually students, have been admitted to the academy.

“We want to inform the public as much as possible,” he said, noting that some people have never even had the occasion to talk with a police officer.

“We want to give them an understanding of what were up against,” he said.

Graduates of the Citizens Police Academy have formed an alumni group that meets monthly at The Islander.