Area police departments are teaming up to show residents just how they work and will host a Citizens Academy for five residents in Dunbarton, Allenstown, Pembroke and Bow.

The eight-week course will give residents the chance to experience classes in police procedures such as fingerprinting, foot-imprint casting and a mock trial with an actual judge sitting in.

“I think what it does is it brings us together in a community- based way,” said Bow police officer Diana Scott. “We have more of a positive interaction with people in our towns. It’s not just a uniform and a car and an arrest. They get to see us and see that we’re average people, and they can put a face with the name to make the connection with each department.”

Residents in the participating towns went through an application process including a background check, and five applicants were selected by the police departments.

Allenstown Police Chief Shaun Mulholland said he looks forward to showing people that what happens on police TV shows isn’t the same thing that happens in his department.

“The most important thing is that they’ll get an overview of what we do on the street,” said Mulholland. “People watch TV and get somewhat of a jaded view. They watch these shows where within an hour every resource is available.”

In reality, officers trying to solve a case locally are often faced with a drawn out process.

“There are some things like DNA testing that can take up to a year, and on TV they do it within 15 minutes,” said Mulholland. “They always get people to confess within an hour timeframe. The real world is a different place.”

April 7 will be the first class, and every Tuesday for eight weeks the academy will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. in a variety of locations.

Mulholland said getting citizens familiarized with the faces of his department is one of the biggest benefits of the course.

“One of the biggest complaints people have is that they don’t know the police officers who work in their town,” said Mulholland. z“There’s such change in personnel that people don’t get to know these officers. It’s critical they have that relationship with us.”

Scott also is looking forward to being able to interact with community members.

“They would be more apt to feel comfortable to come and talk to us and ask question,” she said. “We aren’t just a reactive service, we’re proactive. We want to know what we can do to make the community a better place.”