Sheriff's Office • 100 North Fifth Avenue West • Duluth, MN 55802
Phone: (218) 726-2340 • www.stlouiscountymn.gov
Gordon Ramsay
Sheriff
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: February 10, 2026
St. Louis County Sheriff's Office offers Citizens' Academy
on Iron Range
The St. Louis County Sheriff's Office is bringing back its popular Citizens' Academy, this time for residents in northern St. Louis County. The Citizens' Academy provides a unique inside look at the Sheriff's Office and how it operates. The 11-week course begin March 10 and will be offered Tuesdays from 6:30-8:30 p.m., with graduation on May 20. Classes will include interactive presentations and tours to give citizens a better understanding of the range of services provided by the Sheriff's Office.
The majority of classes will take place at the St. Louis County Public Works Building, 7823 Highway 135 in Virginia with additional sessions held at relevant locations for tours, including the St. Louis County Jail and Emergency Operations Center.
The Citizens' Academy will cover topics including patrol operations, a K-9 presentation and demonstration, the St. Louis County Volunteer Rescue Squad, Emergency Response Team and Tactical Operations, Lake Superior Violent Crimes Task Force, St. Louis County Jail operations and tour, 911 operations and tour, crime scene investigations, Internet Crimes against Childrens Task Force, Child Abduction Response Team, Emergency Vehicle Operations Course (EVOC), and an interactive use of force simulation training.
Citizens completing the academy will receive a certificate and have the opportunity to go on a ride-along with a St. Louis County Sheriff's Deputy.
Any St. Louis County resident ages 18 or older may apply. Applicants will be required to pass a criminal background check. The deadline to apply is March 4, 2026.
The Sheriff's Office offers a citizens' academy every year, rotating the class location each year between the Iron Range and Duluth to better accommodate residents throughout the county who'd like to participate. The 2027 Citizens' Academy will hold classes in the southern part of the county.
To learn more or to apply, visit stlouiscountymn.gov/sheriff, or contact Sgt. Adam Kleffman at 218-726-2371 or KleffmanA2@stlouiscountymn.gov.
 File photo from the 2024 Citizens's Academy offered on the Iron Range. Sheriff Gordon Ramsay spoke to participants.
 File photo from the 2024 Citizens's Academy offered on the Iron Range. Emergency Support Services Administrator Dewey Johnson provides a tour of the 911 Emergency Communications Center.
 File photo from the 2024 Citizens's Academy offered on the Iron Range. Participants got an up close look at the department's drone and learned how it is used.
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