Every so often the Midland Police Department sponsors a Citizens' Police Academy consisting of a 36 hour course in which police officers in the various departments explain what they do. I took the cuorse in early 2003, and it was an excellent program.
In one session we got to visit the police firing range, and that was a blast, literally. We got to shoot a police handgun - a Sig 9mm semi-automatic. And, those who wanted could shoot an MP-5 set at two shot bursts. For those of us who had never shot a fully automatic weapon, that was a real thrill. Also, we got to witness some amazing shots by one of the police snipers dressed in a Gilly suit that had him so perfectly camouflaged against the west Texas terrain that he was practically invisible.
On another occasion, we got to do CSI Midland involving a dead body; actually it was someone pretending to be dead, but she did a very convincing job. We were divided into teams, and each team got to visit the scene, collect clues, then workup a presentation for the others. Everyone had a great time.
The program is put on by the Community Relations group headed by Sgt. Kimberly Martinez and Officer Ron Sartor. And, the purpose of the program is to familiarize citizens with the police department, so there's no test or grade. It's just for informational purposes. And, here's the good news. Another class will start at 7:00 PM on October 26, 2004, which is next Tuesday. They will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays for three hours at a time, and the class will end on December 9.
It's a great program, and residents of Midland, Texas, interested in attending should make arrangements to do so by getting an application from the Citizens' Police Academy website or by calling 685-7582 or 685-7131. It's well worth the time, and you'll be glad you did.
Comments