|
||||
|
Jan. 23, 2001
By Aspen C. Emmett Anyone who has ever wondered what it’s like to walk a mile in an police officer’s shoes may have the chance to do just that. The annual Citizens Police Academy, sponsored by the Montezuma County Sheriff Office, will provide citizens the opportunity to do everything from investigating a crime scene to conducting roadside sobriety tests and firing an automatic rifle, said MCSO Lt. Vici Trentman. "We try to include every part of our law enforcement so citizens can see what we do and understand why we do things and how we have to do them," Trentman said. "We can get a mutual respect for each other, bringing the citizens and local law enforcement together." The class meets from 6 to 9 on Thursday evenings starting Feb. 15, free of charge. All applicants are subject to criminal background checks, said Detective Lt. Kalvin Boggs. "We want people with good character in the academy because they’re going to be privy to sensitive information," Boggs said. "We’ve developed some of our academy graduates into police recruits or volunteers that come in and help." Trentman said the 15-week academy consists of a series of presentations and interactive sessions where citizens learn about the multi-faceted law-enforcement process. "There are so many different divisions and aspects that people don’t understand," Boggs said. "A lot of people have no clue what the detective division does because they never see us. "Usually, the only time people do see us is when something bad has happened. Unless you’re involved in a criminal case, a lot of people have no clue what the criminal-law aspect of it is." Trentman said several departments will be involved with the class, including patrol, K-9, investigation, and SWAT, to name a few. Students will also tour a number of facilities from the jail to the child-advocacy center and hear from authorities involved in the courts as well as domestic-violence and victims-response programs. Trentman said the goal is to expose citizens to services in the area and show why they are necessary. "We’d like to get the public aware of what’s going on in our community," Trentman said. "A lot of people, I think, are blind to what does go on around here. "We’re not just ‘Mayberry’ any more." Although the class deals with many serious issues, some of the sessions incorporate "fun" activities through which learned skills can be put to work. Boggs said one of the most popular sessions involves a mock crime scene where students apply their knowledge of investigations. "We try to give an overview of all crimes and what we do to solve them. Then we create a crime and have academy participants come through and try to solve it. It’s pretty neat," Boggs said. Another session that tests the participants’ judgment is the DUI presentation. "Everyone loves this one because we get three subjects intoxicated and then take them downstairs and let them (participants) do the roadsides on them," Trentman said. "It shows what the officers have to deal with sometimes. Some nice guys are totally different when they’re drunk." All of the sessions involve staged events; however, participants are also offered the opportunity to do a ride-along with an on-duty officer. "A lot of people had a a lot of fun with that last year," Trentman said. "Sometimes it can be slow and dead and you see the boring side of it. And other times, you’re going all the time. It gives you an idea of what an officer goes through in the day." Also an everyday part of life for officers is carrying a gun, and participants get first-hand experience with weapons safety and training, Boggs said. "Most of the time, when you’re dealing with everyday people, they don’t handle guns the way we do," Boggs said. "A carpenter takes a hammer to work with him everyday. We take a gun with us everyday. "What’s second nature to us isn’t second nature to someone else, so we do one-on-one (instruction)." Trentman said different people respond differently to the firearms segment of the course. "We had a lady last year who was scared at first, and then once she shot it, she thought it was neat and wanted to do it again." Boggs said the academy serves a number of different purposes, emphasizing the most important goal is to give citizens a better understanding of law enforcement. "Normally, when you come in contact with a law-enforcement officer, it’s a crisis situation and we’re there to intervene," Boggs said. "This lets the people who attend the class know that there’s a human side to being a cop, and what we go through on a daily basis." Anyone interested in enrolling in the Citizens Police Academy can contact Lt. Vici Trentman at the Sheriff’s Office at 565-8542. |
||||
|
Copyright © 2001 the Cortez Journal.
All rights reserved. |
