FOLEY, Ala. - Participants in the Citizens Police Academy, hosted by the Foley Police Department, took reigns to a police vehicle Thursday in arguably the most exciting class yet.

    The seventh class of the course included residents taking to practice what they learned in traffic stop procedures. The evening began with class students looking over their notes on the step-by-step procedure for making a traffic stop, the communication codes and how to write a traffic ticket.

    Police officers Aaron Morin and Chuck Sutherlin split the residents into two groups and gave a brief tutorial how a traffic stop should look so residents could witness first hand an officer completing the process. First, residents sat inside a police vehicle to see some of the equipment used, like the radar, radio and lights. It was probably the first time many were inside a police vehicle, and some in the back seat.

    Role players from previous citizens police academies in Foley acted as the alleged traffic violators, and class participants went through the process of either issuing a speeding ticket, giving a verbal warning or writing a written warning. The traffic violation could have been anything ranging from speeding to not stopping at a traffic light or stop sign.

    Class participants Donald Barnett and Richard Musgrove, both of Foley, took different routes with their handling of how to discipline the driver stopped. Barnett chose to issue a speeding ticket to one violator, but Musgrove decided to go easy on the unfortunate driver and only give a verbal warning.

    The next class, scheduled for Thursday, will be about drug investigations, Lt. Charles Massey stated.