Harrison County Sheriff Robert Matheny is pleased to announce the opening of the first Citizen Sheriff’s Academy. This academy will allow business, religious, civic, and community leaders an inside look at the operation of the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office. The academy will consist of eight weeks of instruction and information, beginning on August 10, 2023, and conclude with a graduation ceremony on October 5, 2023. There is no charge for the academy.
Classes will meet on consecutive Thursday’s from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Most will be held at the Sheriff’s Law Enforcement Headquarters, located at 609 W. Main Street, Clarksburg, although a few classes will be held off-site. Please do not apply unless you are able to commit to all eight sessions.
The mission of this academy is to foster a greater understanding of the role of the Sheriff and his staff throughout Harrison County. The academy will consist of a series of demonstrations, lectures, PowerPoint presentations, videos, interactions, hands-on, guest presenters, and frank group discussions. Through this interaction, the Sheriff hopes to strengthen relationships with the citizens and thus, be able to better respond to community issues and concerns. For the participants, they will have a look into, and an understanding of, the inner workings of the Sheriff’s Office like no other.
There will be a variety of topics covered, but not limited to court room procedures, court security, the role of a Bailiff, Processing and Staging, Tax Division, and the work of the Detectives from crime scene processing and evidence gathering, crime scene reconstruction, to hands-on with a mock Crime Scene. The Patrol Unit presentation will consist of the many scenarios deputies face every day in the field from routine traffic stops to violent crimes.
Off site classes will feature the K-9 Team, training, and demonstration, a tour of the 911 center, and the North Central Regional Jail. In addition to these, members will visit a court room, hear from a local judge, and tour the local staging area where persons are held before being transferred to the North Central Regional Jail or waiting for a court appearance.
There will also be presentations and demonstrations from the Greater Harrison County Drug and violent crime Taskforce and the Sheriff’s SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) Team, including a look inside the SWAT truck, tactics, weapons, and procedures. Furthermore, members of the Youth Outreach Unit which include School Prevention Resource Deputies, and the Deputy Sheriff Reserve Unit (volunteers) will be available for one session, explaining their role within the county.
In addition to the eight sessions, one additional optional session will be held on a Sunday afternoon. Participants will meet at the Deputy Sheriff’s Association’s Range for a safety briefing and demonstration of the weapons used and relied upon by the Sheriff’s Office. Following those two stages, members will have an opportunity to fire those weapons, with an instructor right beside them.
At the conclusion of the academy, graduates will be given an opportunity to join the ‘first’ Harrison County Citizen Sheriff’s Academy Alumni Association, for the purpose of strengthening relationships and improving understanding between the Sheriff’s Office and their communities, now and in the future. As a graduate, one will become an Ambassador for the Sheriff’s Office, and a direct link to that office for the communities in which they live.
Note: To be eligible, one must live in Harrison County.
You can secure an application in several ways: Download from the Sheriff’s Office Facebook page, “Harrison County Sheriff’s Office, WV.” Visit the Law Enforcement Headquarters at 609 West Main Street, Clarksburg. Stop by the Tax Division in the Harrison County Court House. Or, ask a member of the Deputy Sheriff Reserve Unit.
If you have any questions, please contact the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office at 304-423-7722
