The Durham News | Learning for a Lifetime: 2006

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Learning for a Lifetime: 2006	Home / Class Time / Learning for a Lifetime / Learning for a Lifetime: 2006


May 6, 2006	Shawn Rocco
"How embarrassing," sighs Sean Berthrong, 26, in sobering frustration as he attempts to touch the tips of his index fingers together while wearing goggles that mimic the drunken vision of someone registering a blood-alcohol content of .20. (The legal limit in North Carolina is .08.) "I had considered myself fairly coordinated." Berthrong, along with a handful of other Durham residents, was participating in the Durham Police Department's Citizen Police Academy. Offered in English and Spanish, the goal of the academy is to increase community support and understanding of police operations. Gang awareness, domestic violence information and criminal investigation along with a K-9 demonstration and a ride-along with an on-duty officer are a few of the topics covered in the six-week course. Berthrong signed up because he was curious to know more about police methods and theories. Plus, having recently bought a house in Durham, it was a way for him to become an active member in his new community.