Friday, June 20, 2008

Police Academy Is Source Of Pride

The following letter to the editor was written about the Mt. Lebanon Citizens Police Academy in the June 18, 2008 The Almanac:

To the editor:

My wife and I recently completed the Mt. Lebanon Citizen's Police Academy, a nine week, one night a week community awareness seminar conducted by the police officers on the Mt. Lebanon police force.

Each Thursday evening, the officers and detectives in their specialties covered a pre-determined syllabus of topics related to various aspects of police work.

The classes were mentored by two officers in charge of community affairs: Officers Mike Reimer and Mike Welsh. These men introduced a detective or presenter at the beginning of each session and outlined the topic to be discussed. Each presentation was skillfully done using power point pictures and using real police equipment in and outside the classroom to illustrate points taught.

The K-9 class featured a police dog in the classroom and demonstrated the animal's abilities for locating drug packets hidden in various locations. Students were taken to the police department's firing range and were allowed to actually shoot several types of weapons under the watchful eye of instructors.

For the class on traffic stops, students went to a remote location and participated in simulations using police cruisers to "pull over" traffic violators. On another night, a narcotics detective described the effects of various drugs and showed how drug enforcement is handled in the area. The head of the burglary division discussed how to conduct a crime scene investigation and what precautions to take to protect your property. Fingerprinting techniques were taught. In still another class, high tech equipment for hostage negotiations was demonstrated and students were allowed to use the equipment in a simulated domestic hostage situation.

The classes were stimulating and conducted in a professional manner. The officers who conducted each class were very proud of their abilities, their training and the community they protect. Students left each class with a much greater understanding of police work on a daily basis.

The Mt. Lebanon Citizen's Police Academy accomplishes its primary goal; to communicate with the community and promote an understanding of why Mt. Lebanon is one of the safest communities in the region. The residents of Mt. Lebanon can take great pride in their law enforcement officers. They are dedicated to keeping this area safe using the most up-to-date equipment and technologically advanced resources available.

Anyone interested in participating in this program for its next session can contact Officer Mike Welsh at the Mt. Lebanon Public Safety Building for information.

Alan and Marcia Cohen
Mt. Lebanon

Link: www.thealmanac.net/ALM/Story/06-18-LET-ML-Cohen---citizen-s-police-academy-A

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1 Comments:

Blogger Chris Mayhew said...

That class is a buried treasure in MtL. I highly recommend anyone take advantage of it if at all possible. Whatever your views on a variety of issues, you'll be much more well informed. Officer Welsh is a super great guy too. (I just had more interaction with him)

June 20, 2008 8:14 AM  

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