As an attendee at the first Fayetteville Citizens Police Academy I thought it would be more than appropriate to share the class’s experience with the citizens of Fayette County.

It is graduation time and most high schools and colleges are sending their students off into the world of making a living. There is, however, a unique graduation taking place at the Fayetteville Police Department.

On Tuesday evening, the third of June, Police Chief Steven D. Heaton will preside over the graduation of the Fayetteville Police Department’s inaugural Civilian Police Academy.

Twenty citizens from the city of Fayetteville volunteered to undergo 12 weeks of insight and familiarity with the duties and responsibilities of our police officers. We were given instruction and demonstrations as well as exposure to the work of officers in every subdivision of the Police Department.

The curriculum consisted of familiarization in the following areas: Patrol/support services accreditation and certification; community relations; criminal/courtroom procedures; police vehicles, accident investigation, traffic law and DUI investigations; K-9; use of force and defensive tactics; pursuits; departmental weapons; communications center (911); criminal investigations, crime scene processing; juvenile crimes/crimes against children; domestic violence; weapons; practical exercises.

The above list is just a small portion of what a patrol officer must go through to receive accreditation to become a member of any police force in the state of Georgia.

Part of our weapons training took place at the Clayton Regional Law Enforcement Academy where we were each given the opportunity to use the fire arms training simulator. This simulator teaches officers how to respond to life and death situations in nanoseconds. Each of us left with a greater understanding of what a police officer faces in their everyday line of duty.

The majority of the training was overseen by Lt. Beverly Trainor and personally conducted by Sgt. Steve Crawshaw. Other officers conducted class-specific instruction.

In one case several officers volunteered to be TASER recipients to show us how a subject reacts to being hit with this less-lethal method of subduing a potential threat to an officer or some innocent bystander.

I know I speak for my fellow classmates when I extend our thanks to Chief Heaton and the members of the Fayetteville Police Department for conducting this outstanding program.

We all feel we have learned quite a bit about law enforcement and in particular what it takes to be a police officer. Each of us has an increased appreciation and respect for the men and women who wear the uniform of the Fayetteville Police Department.

We would also encourage any of the citizens of Fayetteville to be participants of future Citizens Police Academies.

John A. Milani

Fayetteville, Ga.

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