Police Academy
In a couple of days, I will begin a course/journey of better understanding the complexities and life of law enforcement. 
I will be attending a citizen's version of the police academy, and eventually riding along on the night shift in a cruiser. I look forward to it with anticipation and a bit of nervousness.
Over the years, on various internet gun and civil liberties forums I have witnessed a divide between the patrol officer and the citizen. The lack of understanding invariably led to entrenched arguments on each side of the coin, each not without merit. I have studiously avoided these arguments, especially on forums which I moderate. I have engaged in one on one debate on the issues with law enforcement officers whom I respect. As a nurse, working with the public in an official capacity in a high stress area that is foreign to the public, I feel I understand a little of what officers of the law experience on the job. Hopefully, I will understand better in the future.
Expect to hear a bit more about these experiences in the future..........
I will be attending a citizen's version of the police academy, and eventually riding along on the night shift in a cruiser. I look forward to it with anticipation and a bit of nervousness. Over the years, on various internet gun and civil liberties forums I have witnessed a divide between the patrol officer and the citizen. The lack of understanding invariably led to entrenched arguments on each side of the coin, each not without merit. I have studiously avoided these arguments, especially on forums which I moderate. I have engaged in one on one debate on the issues with law enforcement officers whom I respect. As a nurse, working with the public in an official capacity in a high stress area that is foreign to the public, I feel I understand a little of what officers of the law experience on the job. Hopefully, I will understand better in the future.
Expect to hear a bit more about these experiences in the future..........
Labels: Citizen's Police Academy
posted by Xavier at 1:12 PM
18 Comments:
Am looking forward to hearing your perspective on this...
You're a good man.
Good Job. I did this with our local department and it was a great experience.
Dear Xavier,
Glad to hear that you are taking a civilian police academy. Of course, it seems that the people most in need of understanding are the least likely to make the effort.
On the flip side, I know it is a constant struggle to fight the frustration and even anger LEO's feel with civilians, politicians, activists who spout ignorant statements about what law enforcement should or should not do.
-W
Kudos to you sir, for having an open mind.
Tanner
I did a night ride-along on a Friday in Colorado Springs a couple of years ago. Admittedly the "mean streets" of Colorado Springs aren't more than poodle mean, but I was very impressed with the skills of the officers in defusing situations. I was even more impressed with the coordination of officers in one-man cars who backed each other up apparently without any directive contacts. Within a minute of arrival, there was always another car.
Spent some time on a sub-zero night trying to convince homeless living under interstate overpasses to come into shelters. I think my guide was happy to have a six foot guy in a dark jacket with him while digging around in the dark. He said it was no problem that I was carrying either.
That's really cool...
I'd love to do something like that in my area.
I attended the Citizens Police academy in High Point, NC, some years ago. It was extremely informative. My hat is off to the police. It is a difficult and dangerous job. One of the best parts was when they had a magistrate come in for a session on his end of things. He was clearly a man who was going to apply the laws impartially and honestly.
Never interact with a police officer if you don't have to. They can ruin your life with a single lie and can violently overact to any slight with no consequences.
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=54162036
Wear your vest!
Good for you Xavier!
I hope that your expedition into the world of law enforcement is both educational and safe.
Good luck with that, and stay safe out there!
Is this going to be like the movie, Police Academy?
"Guns. Guns. When do we get guns?"
This will be well worth the reading. Looking forward to your perspective. Does Ilsa get to audit the K9 classes? (For some reason when I was growing up "police dog" was a synonym for German Shepherd. Nick the Golden Retriever was asking. I think he is in to uniforms.)
So ya spending the evening at Dunkin Donuts or Krisy Kreme?
My father is involved with teaching citizens emergency tactics and classes for kids who are interested in law enforcement. I believe you're completely right about the divide between law enforcement and citizens. Folks don't realize that just wearing a uniform puts them in danger so they are always alert and rely on statistics to prevent something dangerous from happening. They're trained to assess each situation with bit of judgement. Living with a Police Officer as a father has given me great opportunity to understand all sides of a situation even if someone is a little more terse than seemingly needing to be.
The sad part is that I have another relative who got caught up in the corruption of having too much power. It's interesting to see both sides of law enforcement and still have respect for it.
I hope your experiences bring a new light to your already interesting outlook on life Xavier.
Take Care
Michelle
(Macquillage of Curiousity)
I have done this. You will learn a lot about your community you didn't know (although you might have thought you did). Do your ride-along on the night shift, on Friday night, right after a pay day...
I wonder if our local PD does this; if so I'd be interested, too.
Looking forward to your future blog post on this subject, sir.
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