I attended the 12th annual Gwinnett County Citizen’s Police Academy to become more aware of dangers confronting police. The experience was scary and dangerous, but educational.
I rode with a patrolman to a shoot-out between rival gangs. Along with 20 other people I practiced fingerprinting and learned about crime detection. I hovered over a late-night crash scene in a county police helicopter, watching the tragedy unfold below.
We practiced stopping cars for various traffic infractions. Cops have a tough job. Imagine going up to a car out on the highway at midnight having no idea who is inside.
We listened to the SWAT team and fired the same guns they carry. I’m glad they are on our side.
Hearing lectures by officers who have years of experience in various types of criminal activity is educational. It has been 10 years since I graduated from the academy and while some things have changed the objective remains essentially the same. Becoming aware of the dedication police have to protecting citizens provides an additional feeling of safety in my community.
I feel threatened by the behavior of strangers among us. My family’s security compels me to be aware of crimes committed close to home. Each morning I check crimemapping.com online to see what crimes have occurred near my home. In the past two years I have found an increase in residential concerns.
We are becoming endangered as the economy stagnates. Desperate people do desperate things to survive. With the surging disparity between wealthy and impoverished people, we’re on a course for rioting and anarchy.
It’s satisfying to learn that response by emergency crews and the police to 911 calls are regularly undergoing training.
Some crime is attributable to addicts stealing something to sell so they can satisfy their addiction. Others are committed by the unemployed, desperate to provide for their families. A mismanaged economy is triggering social instability.
With an uncertain future, I appreciate our lines of defense: police departments, military, border patrol, FBI, intelligence agencies, the National Guard and others.
I enjoyed speaking with Sgt. Christina Schiralli, a 15-year veteran of the Gwinnett Police Department. We talked about the future of the Gwinnett County Citizen’s Police Academy.
“I like what I’m doing,” she said. I could tell.
Schiralli is the manager and Corporal Michele Pihera is the coordinator for the citizen's police academy. Because of increased interest the session will be 6-9 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday for eight weeks, starting April 4 through May 5, and Aug. 7 through Sept. 27. These dates are tentative. There is no charge.
Applications to attend are available online. The CPA is open to all Gwinnett County residents, 18 years of age or older, who successfully pass the application process and a driver's and criminal history check.
With the current trend becoming even more ominous I believe it’s a prudent idea to become acquainted with the people who protect us. They’re the good guys. We need to know them much better.
Bill York has lived in Stone Mountain for 35 years. Reach him at sioux2222@gmail.com.
