MONTROSE – What does it take to be a cop? What really goes on behind the scenes of the Montrose Police Department? To find out the answer to those questions and more, sign up for the 12th Annual Citizens’ Police Academy, set to start Jan. 19.

Montrose Police Commander Gene Lillard said the purpose of the nine-week course, which will be held at the Montrose Police Department from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Mondays, is to give citizens more information about how the police department works. The course is not really meant as an introduction to police work, he said, but one former student did go on to become a Montrose City policeman.

“We want to show the citizens how and what the police department does as far as on-the-job type of stuff,” said Lillard. “It’s of interest to citizens who want to go within the police department and see how it operates.”

Near the end of the course, students will get to go to the San Juan Firing Range and learn how to shoot weapons, and they’ll also learn about officer survival, he added.

In another exercise, students get to play cop and do a simulated traffic stop.

“We let them be the police officer and walk up to a car with an officer behind the wheel,” he said. “The students walk up and ask for a driver’s license and see what an officer goes through when he approaches a car and has no idea who is behind the wheel. A lot of people get a thrill out of that.”

Class sizes usually range from eight to 15 , Lillard said.

A short application form for the course can be picked up from the Montrose Police Department on South First Street. For more information, call Lillard at 252-5257.