Started Community Police Academy yesterday.

[OULobo]

I had my first Community Police Academy class yesterday. This is a course offered by my local police department that gives the general public a view of the inner workings and motivations of the police. The course is free and meets for 3 hours once a week for 12 weeks covering everything from trials, traffic, jail, narcotics, firearms, SWAT, patrols, ect. I was thinking of posting all the sessions afterward in a sort of diary so people might be able to see if they would be interested in a similar program. This is not a PR program and it is not a course designed for recruiting purposes.

Yesterday we started with an intro/description/concepts session and then covered recruiting and training. The course has its origins in the FBI Academy where many local level officers and administrators go for further training and modern concepts. The course is based on the concept of community policing, that the police force and the public are most effective in stoping and preventing crime if in a partnership. In the course this concept is combined with giving the public an idea of the abilities and responsibilities of the police. The course strives to leave behind the eras of "good ole boy" police networks and "traditional" policing. The first being easily corrupted and the second being being too specialized and impersonal.

Next we progressed to recruiting practices and methods, including standard advertisment, word of mouth, personal referals and letters of inquiry. We examined the different ways to access the available pool of qualified personel. We continued on to the interview and qualifying process including physical, psychological, proffessional evaluations. This included methods of determining professional integrity; physical fitness standards of local, state and federal law enforcement groups; pychological red flags; and indepth background checks. We examined the different groups, individuals, and governing bodies that have a say in the recruiting process and their designated purposes in the process. Finally, post employment education and audits, like optional specialization courses, available police academies and programs, and reviews of performance, were covered.

Next post comes next Thur.

PS If no one is interested please post so and I'll stop wasting time.

On a note to the forum, I personally took this course for three reasons; one was this forum and that I thought it would be a good idea to have an understanding of the LEO outlook before I argue for or against their actions or policies; second was that my father has been anti-police in every aspect of conversation and argument and I thought I may be able to enlighten his viewpoints; and thirdly I just plain old thought it sounded like a really, really cool experience (with a little education mixed in).

 

[dearnis.com]

Good call. You should learn a lot. I know I have recommended these types of programs to folks on here before. Please do post updates; I am curious to see how the course unfolds as presented in your area, and I think your reports will benefit everyone!

 

[arnisador]

Please, keep posting!

 

[Black Bear]

Those kinds of programs are getting more popular these days. I took one in my city a year ago, it sounds like about the same thing. Six months or so. I'm now in the alumni association.

Well worth the time. It was the first year that our police service offered the course.

 

[MartialArtsChic]

I took course like that here. Both of my brothers are cops and it gave me insight into what they really do. You will learn a lot from it and will definately enjoy it.

 

[OULobo]

Second class:

The first thing covered was information systems. These included tracking in records held on local, state and federal levels. The local system was described in the most detail as it was the most accessed and the useful. This system was unique in that it allowed for records to be kept for minor crimes or instances like interviews, parking tickets, speeding warnings, ect. These things could be useful in determining the location and of a suspect at certain times and in establishing a pattern of behavior. The other systems included instant communications to regional agencies and detailed descriptions from national databases. Included was a description of the annual audits performed by the federal government to monitor for abuses of the information system for searches used in other than official police business and the punishments for said abuse. Can everyone say felony.

Next was a presentation by a dispatcher. Described were basic duties like organizing and deciding the locations of some vehicles, assuring that calls get sent to the correct municipality and basic interaction with the public. Most important was how to prioritize the calls and organize them so that each gets the attention called for. Included were personal stories of unusual or interesting cases handled. It became obvious that it takes a certain type of person to handle the hyper speed to lethargic pace that comes with the job.

Next presentation was covering the history and reasons for basic patrol. History covered the Roman and Medieval times up to the first organized police group of the 1700s. Also included were the distinct differances of other countries' patrol techniques. We examined the need for high visibilty and uniforms, and covered public reactions to uniforms and uniformed police officers.

The final presentation was the duties of a jailor and the operation of the jail, including a tour of the facility. The tour began with the visitation area and the juvenile detention area. All areas are secured with solid doors with reinforced plexiglass to eliminate the use of the stereotypical bars that we infact a horrendous suicide hazard. The juvenile cells are designed to allow for direct viewing from the jailor's monitor office and have more windows so that they can be better supervised. Next we proceeded to the "drunk tank". A cell used to house people to intoxicated to be released (and a facility that I am proud to say I managed to avoid for my entire college education. No small feat.) We then moved on to the "rubber room", a room designed with hard rubber walls to eliminate the ability for a emotionally disturbed or hysterical prisoner to hurt themselves by impacting the walls. Next stop was the processing center, where the prisoners are fingerprinted and a mugshot is taken. This is also the area where video remotes can be used to allow the prisoner to make pleas or take part in the judicial proceeding without having to leave the jail. The final stop was the actual cell blocks where the prisoners serve time. We were allowed to briefly observe some prisoners and then allowed to enter an unoccupied cell block. The cell areas each include 3-7 cells with a sink, head and bunk each. The cells have a camera, window, lighting ventilation, intercom and sprinkler system each. The common area has a T.V., table w/games, magazines and soft cover books, a pay phone and a shower. The prisoners are given bed linens, a shirt, pants, socks, underwear and slippers, a toiletry kit that includes a comb, toothbrush, soap and deoderant. All food is supplied by a local hospital that can make any necessary arrangments for dietary needs.

More next week.

The interesting class is St. Pat's class we cover DUIs. Hee Hee. I may get to be a test subject for that one.

 

[Quick Sand]

Might sound like a stupid question but when you say that each prisoner has their own sink, bunk and "head," what is that? Obviously I know it doesn't refer to the one on their shoulders. I've heard the term used before and I'm just not clear what they mean by "head." Thanks.

 

[OULobo]

Might sound like a stupid question but when you say that each prisoner has their own sink, bunk and "head," what is that? Obviously I know it doesn't refer to the one on their shoulders. I've heard the term used before and I'm just not clear what they mean by "head." Thanks.

Not stupid at all. "Head" is a millitary term for a no frills toilet.

 

[KenpoGirl]

Might sound like a stupid question but when you say that each prisoner has their own sink, bunk and "head," what is that? Obviously I know it doesn't refer to the one on their shoulders. I've heard the term used before and I'm just not clear what they mean by "head." Thanks.

That would be a Toilet. Head is a nautical term for toilet I believe, though I could be WAY off on that.

Dot

 

[KenpoTess]

From an Ole Salt here.. you're quite right Dot

 

[OULobo]

Week 3:

I can best divide this up in to 3 sessions; informative session, fun session and serious session.

The first (informative) session was a lecture about the history and progression of uniformed patrol. We started at the turn of the century and discussed how lack of easy communication and transportation created logistical nightmares for the police forces. The uniforms of American police evolved apart from our closest influence the British, because of the American tradition of avoiding any similarities to British authority. Novel methods of communication were adapted including the use of whistles and echos through the city sewers. The patrols were divided up into zones and the officers walked or used street cars for transport, as the best form of transport, horses were expensive and required high levels of maintanance. The "beat" cop had the advantage of knowing the people in his zone and their behaviors. Without good transport most people lived very near where they worked and shopped, because walking was the only way for many to get there. This made the neiborhoods very centralized and allowed the officer to become very familiar with his zone and its denizens. Later systems of communication included the police only callbox. The major limitation of the callbox was the time span between check-ins. Most officers only checked in by the hour and so if a crime occured at 5 min. past the top of the hour, it could be over an hour before an officer could reach you.

The next inovation was in transport. Cars and motorcycles became available to the police as a form of transport. Some police organizations even used a light located centrally in the city, that the officers would look for or drive by to check to see if it was lit. The majority of police used motorcycles initially, because of lower costs to purchase and maintain, and easy mobility. With time motorcycles have become much less popular because of low capacity for carrying equipment and low protection of the officer. In 1912 in Detroit the first radio cruiser went into service. The radio was a reciever only and the unit required one officer to drive and one to operate (listen to) the radio. There was no frequency for emergency so commercial broadcasts were interrupted with police announcements to the cruisers. The major drawbacks here were lack of privacy and lack of ability to transmit responses. Today all they mentioned methods of patrol are still used and others have joined the repatoir of the police, like choppers, boats, bikes and rollerblades.


The second (fun) session was the application of police speed tracking methods and devices, highlighted were laser and radar methods. We went through the ways to calibrate these devices and the common sources of interferance. The presenting officer gave his personal opinions on the application of traffic and speed laws (What many of us really wanted to know.), and gave the official policies of the force (What the force wants you to know.). Also covered were safety measures and limitations, both techincal and proceedural. Consequently, radar guns have been found to cause cancer after many officers rest them when in use on their bodies and clocking lasers cannot blind you if you look directly at them. Finally, we were takenout to the front of the station and allowed to clock passers-by with the various devices (I got the highest value with a driver going 44mph in a 25 zone).

After break we continued on to the third (serious) session. This section involved the proper and safe methods to perform a traffic stop. The first thing we were shown was a video that included three traffic stops gone bad. The first was in N. Carolina, where a state trooper was patting down arather large man. When the trooper founda small caliber weapon concealed in the man pocket, the man reacted by attacking. The officer was taken down and shot three times. The regained his footing and returned fire killing his attacker. While colling for help on his radio, he collapsed and died of his injuries.

The second video was a stop that occured in Wilmington, OH. Two freemen (those that don't believe in governmental authority) were stopped for speeding by a Ohio Highway Patrol. The driver was asked to get into the cruiser while the ticket was beign filled out and the passenger was left in the truck. At this time the driver went with the trooper, but continuously told the officer he didn't want his car searched. The officer assured him that wasn't his purpose, but immediatly called for a back up. The backup that arrived was a local sheriff's deputy. When the deputy pulled up the suspect ran from the cruiser to his vehicle trying to escape. The officers gave chase and the passenger of the truckpulled a gun and exited the vehicle. The officers spotted the gun, took cover and a shootout ensued. The suspects re-entered the vehicle and escaped. They were caught days later in Utah. No one was injured.

The last video involved a TX officer who stopped three males for speeding. The officer was well known to be a loner that didn't call for back up and refused to have a partner. During a search of the trunk of the car two of the males were at the rear of the car and one was in the back seat. One of the males was behind and out of view of the officer and the other was at his side. The officer had his head in the truck looking for (and finding) contraban. As he is looking the males begin to start conversing in Spanish (later translated to "Do it! Do it! Do it now!). One male attacks the officer form behind, grabbing his legs, the second grabs his upper body and the third exits the car and helps drag the officer to the side of the road where they take his service weapon and kill him with it. They drag the body to a nearby ditch, take all salvageable equipment and flee in the car. This tape was released to other police agencies by the victims family for educational purposes.

Next, the sergent giving the presentation went on to describe the different signs of a stop of unknown risk; tinted windows, hands out of view, motorist exits the vehicle, nighttime stop, out-of-state plates. He continued with signs of high risk stops; aggressive hand gestures, car of same make/model as one described in very resent violent crime, dangerous driving (swerving, speeding, no signal), refusing to stop, shuffling things under the seat, throwing things out the window. He descibed types of approaches to the vehicle and dangerous areas, from the motorist, from traffic, and to the motorist. We went over the methods of securing a known criminal or felon and how to assure the safety of a motorists that is re-entering the flow of traffic.

This weeks class was quite educative and even fun. I was given a bit of history, a chance to operate police equipment and given a view of how bad things can get at a standard traffic stop.

Till next week.

 

[Tgace]

This weeks class was quite educative and even fun. I was given a bit of history, a chance to operate police equipment and given a view of how bad things can get at a standard traffic stop.

The problem is you can do 1,000's of them and nothing bad happens...what happens then is some officers begin to ASSUME that nothing bad is going to happen on the next one and make some poor tactical decisions. Thats why stats. show that most officers killed on vehicle stops have 7-10 yrs on the job. The newer guys still have a healthy dose of fear/caution.

 

[Chicago Green Dragon]

You bring up a good point.

Also dont forget and many people on the job get lazy. You can see it many times when if its not inspection look at how their uniform is or how their duty belt is worn. The other thing is many people who get on the job, esp the ppo's (probation police officers) think they know it all too.
The job can wake you up very quicky and you never know when its coming.
Here in chicago I've seen guys with 15 years on the job treat their equipment like crap. I'll give you an example.
My brother is in Organized Crime, narcotics. One of the guys he works with was off duty and he saw a car jacking in progress. He went over to stop it and pulled his weapon out, identified himself as a police officer and when the guy turned with a gun in his hand. The P.O. went to fire and his gun jambed. He got shot in the stomach twice then the offender ran off.
The reason why his gun jambed is because he never cleaned it and made sure to get enough grease and other stuff from eating all over it.
Its scarey how something like your duty weapon can be over looked.

He is lucky he is still alive.

Chicago Green Dragon

:asian:

The problem is you can do 1,000's of them and nothing bad happens...what happens then is some officers begin to ASSUME that nothing bad is going to happen on the next one and make some poor tactical decisions. Thats why stats. show that most officers killed on vehicle stops have 7-10 yrs on the job. The newer guys still have a healthy dose of fear/caution.

 

[arnisador]

Cool. Thanks for the detailed reports--I find it very interesting!

 

[Chicago Green Dragon]

Knowledge

Its a beautiful thing

Chicago Green Dragon

:asian:

Cool. Thanks for the detailed reports--I find it very interesting!

 

[OULobo]

Week 4

We started the evening with a lecture about the DARE program. The lecture was a little longwinded and to me sounded too much like he was pitching us the same stuff that they pitch the kids (Don't mind my bias). Still he thoughly described the training, duties and common occurances of a DARE officer. There were a couple of 21 yr olds in the class that were singled out because the officer recognized them as old students of his. It was interesting to see that they knew all his slogans and stats, but half of them still smoked. Hmmmmm......


Alert: Psudo-political rant here so skip to the next paragraph if you want the fairly unbiased report!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was 45 min. of telling adults that drugs are bad, tobacco is bad, alcohol is bad, without much justification besides the same crusty slanted stats and slogans. Still it is good to see that the city government spends money to put two officers on full-time DARE duty to brainwash. . . I mean educate our children. Don't get me wrong, I would rather the kids be told all drugs are bad when they are young, but by high school you should be giving them facts not propaganda.


Back to the facts. Next lecture involved a visit from the CSOs (Community Safety Officers). These officers are sworn in, but have no power of arrest. Their primary duties involve aiding citizens, not enforcing laws. Common tasks of the CSOs are help people locked out of their cars, helping locate and capture family pets, directing traffic at accident or construction, aiding in prisoner transport, acting as a bailiff during court proceedings and, most importantly, organizing community safety programs like Safety Town. These programs try to teach kids about the dangers of strangers and traffic. The CSOs use innovative ways to maintain the attention of the children and help them retain the concepts they teach. We even got a visit from Safety Pup, the official mascot of Safety Town. Furrys everywhere eat your heart out.

Next was a short description of some of the programs the police run at businesses to promote interaction and education of the community. Some programs included personal safety, fraud/identity theft prevention, home security, drug awarness and neiborhood watch.

The next session was extremely interesting and fun. The session involved the Hazardous Device Unit or "Bomb Squad". The bomb squad trains continuously in the desposal and identification of explosive devices at a facility on Redstone army base in Huntsville, AL. Next, we were shown the bomb squad vehicle and all of it's exquipment. This included devices like x-ray cameras, disruptors (guns used to destroy or reveal components of the bomb to stop detonation), shock tube (a new and safer type of fuse), C4 expolsive, blasting caps, protective suits and binary explosive kits. We were shown examples of devices that require their attention, including prank bombs, home-made explosives and unexploded active military ordinance that soldiers keep as sourviers. Next, we were shown the "bomb pod". This is a trailer the is taken to the site where a suspected explosive is found and the explosive is placed inside to contain and direct the blast if the bomb were to detonate. This also allows the bomb to be transported to a place where it can be safely disposed of. Finally, we were given a demonstration of shock tube.

The next session consisted of a lecture by the head of the Bike Patrol Unit. This unit, obviously, specializes in the use of bike to patrol the surrounding neiborhood. This type of patrol is effective in that it allows for access into areas where cruisers can't patrol (trails, parks, ect.) and it allows for increases presence and community interaction. It also allows for officers to approach situations without being easily identified by suspects, as no one usually expects to see an officer on a bike or out of standard uniform. The officers in the unit are trained in the use of the bike, not just in riding it, but in using it to subdue suspects and in self-defense. During the lecture we were allowed to examine the common pedal bicycle and the new electric hybrid bikes that allow for periods of transport without having to pedal. We were also given examples of the modified uniforms and service belts to examine.

The next session involved the area of forensic art. The force's sketch artist was brought in to describe his duties. He started by describing the need and effectivness of forensic artistry and showing some examples of sketches verses photos of suspects after they were caught, including once case where the defence attorney tried to argue that the sketch was so good that it must be a sign of a set-up. Included in this session were the advantages and limitation of flip books and newer computer programs.

The final session involved accident investigation and methods of analyzation of an accident scene to reconstruct the situation. This demonstration included the original methods of using advanced mathamatics and physics calculation, and newer methods that involve greater levels of technological advances.

Next week includes OVI (DUI), domestic violence and selected statutes.

 

[arnisador]

I wonder if we have one of these--I live in a fairly small town (less than 60,000 people).

 

[OULobo]

This one is in a fairly affluent suburb of Cleveland (I can only afford to live here because I rent an apartment). The suburb is small, but because it is well funded and the community is so proactive, the police department has responded well. I would also check where you work. The program I am in is anyone residing in or working in the city.

 

[OULobo]

Update:

Back for another episode of Ron's adventures at the local PD. We started with a lecture on common statutes and differences in charges. We covered the three levels of crime (capital, felony and misdemeanor), the four levels of culpability (purposeful, knowingly, reckless and negligent) and the different levels of a crime aggravated verses common, grand vs. petty. We also examined the differences between burglury and robbery, and we covered coverall or blacket laws like disorderly conduct and possession of criminal tools. The three levels of crime are dividers of sentance. Capital being life (in prison) or death (execution), felony being 6 months to life, misdemeanor being 1 day to 6 months, and then of course there are moving violation and parking tickets. The designation of aggravated verses common usually involves intent and influence (emotion, intoxicants). This part was the hardest for me to understand, so I'd have trouble explaining it more. The designation of thefts is decided by the value of the items stolen, with $500 being the difference between grand and petty theft. The difference in the definitions of burglury and robbery is primarily the idea of a residence or domicile, be it mobile or permenant, not generally, as is commonly thought, the involvment of confrontation.

Now on to the more fun stuff. A patrol officer came in to discuss OVI. OVI stands for Operating a Vehicle under the Influence and is now used instead of the old DUI or DWI laws. The main differance between the DUI and OVI laws is that the new OVI laws require the vehicle to be in motion and in a publicly accessable area. The officer presented documented studies of the effects of alcohol on reaction and response times, and gave us some personal experiences, including the drunken lawnmower rider and various audio tapes of intoxicated individuals attempting common tasks like reciting the alphabet. He included the penalties for OVI and the current legal limits. Interesting to me is the state law that requires the driver to submit to a chemical analyzation if requested by an officer. If this is refused the driver's license is revolked for 1 yr. automatically and a $1200-600 fee needed to get it reinstated. However if the driver does the test and is found over the limit, but not excessivly so, he only recieves a mandatory 90 license suspension. Next an auxillary member of the force came in (driven by a sober driver to and from) after having a few drinks to demonstrate the effectivness of the field sobriety and breathalyzer tests. While he passed most of the feild sobriety tests, except the line walk, the eye's-closed lean-back, and the Nystigma tests, the breathalyzer was hard to fool. The subject had 6 black-and-tans in a two hour period and blew a .13 bac.

The last section of the class involved domestic disputes. We covered the types of abuse; verbal, physical, emotional, economic, and sexual. We also talked about the abuse cycle and it's three stages. The first stage being tension, second being violence, third being contrition, repeat. The detective gave a review of policies, process and techniques when answering a domestic call. In the past the police were asked to act as a mediator in these disputes, but the official stance of most agencies has changed to that of making an arrest at each call. This is generally seen as a way to avoid liability for further violence and allows abusers to be put "in the system" for later records and further action. However now because the police almost always arrest at least one of the group, many people don't want to call. Many are shocked to see their partner arrested and protest that this was not their wish or intent. This is a negative because it makes it very unlikely that they call again for future complaints, even if there is violence involved. During this presentation the class was split and taken to different rooms where a domestic dispute senario was staged and class members acted as officers, while the rest of the class and a few officers observed and commented. Later we were informed that these senarios were modeled after actual cases the department has experienced.

Until Next week.

 

[arnisador]

I never got the 'aggravated' qualifier either! Does anyone know what exactly it means?

I had thought a capital crime was just a special case of a felony!