"Academia del Alguacil" – Sheriff's Academy

About the Program

Category: Civic Education and Public Information (Best in Category)

Year: 2022

Academia del Alguacil is the first-of-its-kind Spanish language sheriff's academy sponsored by the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. Academia del Alguacil is a five-week Sheriff's Academy delivered entirely in Spanish. It was coordinated in partnership with the San Diego County Office of Education's Migrant Education Program and has been provided twice since its creation. Unlike the Citizens' Academy, this Academia del Alguacil was specifically designed to build relationships with Spanish-only speaking community members. Academia del Alguacil is designed with cultural needs at the forefront with curriculum and presentations entirely in Spanish and built around reoccurring needs and themes communicated to and observed by our deputies in the communities. The Sheriff's Department views the migrant community as part of the diverse fabric of our region and language preference should not be a reason for the members of any migrant community to feel that they cannot access public safety services. Participants were parents of children who participated in the migrant education program. The first academy was delivered virtually via Zoom, and on Feb. 17, 2021, 36 San Diego County residents graduated from the academy. The second academy was also held virtually during the fall with 28 graduates completing the academy.