FOLEY, Ala. - As Lt. Charles Massey closed the door, he asked, "It has a distinct sound, doesn't it?"

A jail cell door closing definitely can create a new experience for anyone who has stayed the straight course in life, but a group of residents experienced the loud clicking sound of a jail cell closing with them inside. This group was not in trouble, but merely experiencing it during the first class of the Citizens Police Academy hosted by the Foley Police Department.

A group of 16 local residents attended the first class Friday, and Massey, Foley PD patrol special operations commander, started off the first class with a brief rundown of what to expect during the 10-week class.

The academy will cover traffic citations, incident reports, arrest reports, drug investighations, court systems, search and seizure and firearm safety, Massey said.

"This course is something that mirrors what we go through," Massey told the class.

If residents attend 80 percent of the classes, the program will conclude with each participant riding twice for eight hours with a Foley PD officer on a shift, one shift being during the day and another being at night.

"There are things that go on in the evening that don't necessarily go on during the day," Massey said. "The times we'd really like you to ride are Friday and Saturday nights."

After the brief rundown, the group took a tour of the police department, visiting some of the different parts of the building. The group visited the communications center, investigations area and the pod area for those who committed misdemeanors.

As the group gazed into the investigations area, Massey pointed out the evidence room and called it "the safest place to be in any hurricane."

Massey then told the class about the group pod area and how the department uses a "bad behavior" system to keep control of inmates. With a growing problem of disturbances among some of the inmates, the department began a system where extra days would be added to the sentence if anyone acted up.

"We knew it worked when we got called back here and it actually was some of the inmates who called us," Massey said, noting the inmates informed the officers of certain plans of other inmates and the event happened around three years ago. "From then on we have not had one single brawl."

This is the third time the course has been offered and the class will meet each Thursday in the department.

Read The Foley Onlooker each Wednesday to learn more about the citizens police academy and follow the residents journey from start to finish as they prove their mettle and, hopefully, complete the course and earn the right to ride in a police car with an officer on shift.