ROSSFORD — The Rossford Police Department will be holding its first citizens police academy starting in September.
Classes will be built around the Lambert murder case.
“We’re going to do an in-depth look at the Lambert murder case, from 2015 in Rossford. The offender was convicted and has a life sentence. It will be a genuine case study, from start to finish,” Rossford Police Chief Todd Kitzler said.
Daniel Lambert was sentenced to 20 years to life in the 2015 murder of his wife, Cathryn. He plead guilty to one count of aggravated murder. Other charges of murder, tampering with evidence and felonious assault were dismissed.
He beat her with a hammer and suffocated her.
“The goal is to give residents a better understanding of why we do certain things,” Kitzler said of the academy. “It will give some good insight into police use of force, police pursuit, de-escalation and mental health strategies that we use. There will be a lot of the mental health partners we use giving special guest speaking presentations, especially in regards to substance abuse problems.”
Other topics will include: department mission and core values, recruitment and hiring process, our local judicial system, domestic violence, a shoot/don’t shoot simulator, investigations, personnel complaint process, body-worn cameras, traffic enforcement; vehicle pursuits and addiction and mental health strategy.
There will also be demonstrations by the special response team and police canines.
The academy is limited to 20 participants.
Specialists from National Alliance on Mental Illness and the Wood County Addiction Response Collaborative are on the speaking list.
All class materials will be provided and there will not be any outside reading.
The nine-week academy will be held on Wednesdays, starting on Sept. 7, from 6-8 p.m. at the Mark G. Zuchowski Safety, Zoning, and Planning Annex at 229 Eagle Point Road. The academy is open to all Rossford residents over the age of 21. Interested individuals can apply online at www.RossfordOhio.com, or by calling 419-666-7390.
