Childersburg – The Childersburg Police Department’s second “Citizens Police Academy” has begun with an in depth review of both Constitutional law and Alabama Codes and how they commonly come into play for police officers.
While a police officer’s need to understand Constitutional law is straight-forward; it’s not always as easy as it sounds/ And that’s nothing compared to Alabama Codes, where they need to think like a legislator that has no law enforcement experience; think like a defense attorney and a prosecutor at the same time; and separating the subtle intricacies between similar laws and those differences that separate the degrees of certain crimes isn’t as easy as it would seem. Actually, it’s tough, which explains why time spent on the subject at a police academy is quite intense.
To think that such differences are required to be “top-of-mind” across so many types of police calls is frankly mind-boggling without a lot of experience doing it. And that was just the first class session, reviewing only important highlights. I came away with a whole new appreciation and respect that I’m quite sure will deepen over the next month and a half.
The program is intended to help build a mutual trust and improve communication between the police and members of the community, helping bridge gaps and dispel misconceptions, as it outlines basic information about the department and delves into the operation of the department, from patrol to investigations to evidence gathering with hands-on activities.
Other Thursday evening sessions will cover fingerprinting, firearms and safety, traffic collisions, traffic stops, search & seizure guidelines, foundations of law, CPR & First Aid, crime scene investigation & photography, as well as a K-9 demonstration.
We’ll follow the seven-week series of classes and provide a synopsis for each session.
