New Milford Police Department Announces Citizens Academy

If you’ve ever driven past a police station and thought, “I wonder what actually goes on in there,” the New Milford Police Department is giving residents a chance to find out. According to information from the New Milford Police Department, applications are now being accepted for its upcoming Citizens Academy, with classes kicking off Thursday, October 1.

The program will run for eight weeks, with a class held once a week from 6 to 8 p.m. Most of the sessions will take place at the New Milford Senior Center, but there will also be some opportunities to get out of the classroom and see things firsthand.

And this is not exactly your typical night-school situation where someone stands in front of a whiteboard and puts everybody to sleep. The Citizens Academy will give participants a look at different parts of the department, including the K-9-unit, crime scene investigations, motor vehicle accident investigations, the Dive Team, aviation, radar and traffic enforcement, patrol operations and police communications.

There are also several on-location sessions, including an introduction to the Police Department, a Dive Team demonstration and an Aviation Day. Basically, you get to see some of the stuff that makes you realize being a cop involves a lot more than sitting in a cruiser drinking coffee.

The department is looking for New Milford residents and local business owners who are interested in learning more about how the police department operates and the people behind the badge. The department has emphasized community involvement as part of its policing efforts, and a Citizens Academy is a pretty direct way for residents to get a better look at that work.

Now, I have to admit, if I joined this Academy, there is a pretty good chance I'd spend the entire eight weeks acting like I'm in one of my favorite movies growing up: Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol.

I'd be yelling at Proctor, insisting that I get a gun, and demanding that everyone refer to me as Carey Mahoney. I don't think that's how the program works, but I'm willing to find out.

New Milford Man’ s Chilling Texas Chainsaw Massacre Truck Seen in Monroe

This past weekend’s (6/4/22) Barnum Festival in Monroe, CT was a success by anyone’s measure. It was a place to go see classic cars of all kinds, have some food and see live music. In that sea of automobile madness was a terrifying thing. There was a vehicle with a recognizable and chilling theme, the Texas Chainsaw Massacre Truck. I spoke to the truck's owner Sam Gentile from New Milford, to find out how this came together, and why.

Gallery Credit: Lou Milano

Drone Footage Captures Magical Essence of New Milford in Fall

Recently someone set out to capture the Essence and Magic of New Milford in the fall and they nailed it. New Milford is beautiful from the ground but has another level of elegance from the sky. These are images taken from a drone over New Milford in Fall of 2021.

Gallery Credit: Lou Milano

Exclusive Photos, Videos, and Interviews on the Set of New Milford Horror Movie

"Candlewood" is a horror film that just finished filming in New Milford, CT. This is how the filmmakers described the project on their Indiegogo:

"Candlewood is the first movie of three in the psychological/horror feature film franchise. A blended family moves from the city to a small town in Connecticut, where a local urban legend adds chaos and terror to an already fragile family dynamic. The staunch patriarch, who desperately wants his family to not see him as a failure but as the father that did everything, he could to keep his family together through difficult times. Candlewood follows a family leaving New York City for a simpler life in the country town of New Milford, CT. The haunting and mysterious true stories of missing hikers near a popular state park, Lover's Leap, coupled with the town of Jerusalem sitting at the bottom of Candlewood Lake gives credibility to our narrative. We bring to life the struggle of good vs evil and what happens when lifelong, outdated traditions are challenged."

A while back I got in touch with the folks behind the movie, invited them on the I-95 Morning Show with Ethan, Lou and Dave and talked about the film, and shooting in New Milford. We spoke with Director Myke Furhman and Writer/Executive Producer Victoria Flores-Argue. During that discussion, I demanded to be in the movie, telling the duo that I have some experience acting on TV shows that never actually made it onto TV. Against all odds, they did invite me to participate and I visited the set on October 20th to shoot a scene that is important. I was extremely nervous and I had zero idea of what I was in for. Below are some insider moments from my day on-set and from others.

Gallery Credit: Lou Milano

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