Week 3 - Raytown Police Department Citizen's Academy

Week 3 was another busy week in the Citizen's Academy!

Lee's Summit Bomb Squad kicked off the class with a presentation followed by Crash Investigation, Narcotics Investigations, Juveniles and then ending with a discussion about Gangs.  I don't have a lot to say about each topic but here is my recap of class last night.

Captain Mark Liebig and Sergeant Stephen Poogs from Lee's Summit Police Department presented about their bomb squad.  There are only 7 bomb squads in the KC metro area (3 in MO, 4 in KS).  Bomb squads are trained and monitored by the FBI.  Raise of hands, who all thought it was the ATF that trained the bomb squad?  I did!  I learn something new every class!  The FBI determines who gets approval for training and recertification.  All training is done in Huntsville, Alabama and is certified by the FBI. Training includes 1 week of Hazmat training, 6 weeks of Hazardous Devices training and 1 week of training for recertification (every 3 years). 

Common calls local bomb squads are dispatched to include:  grenades, military ordinance (military has to be called in to detonate or remove when found), military small arms, chemical bombs, commercial explosives and fireworks.  Often times many of these items are found when an older military veteran passes away and family are cleaning out the house.  Fireworks are the #1 killer of bomb squad technicians in US.  Captain Liebig indicated it is because of complacency.  (Officers sometimes think fireworks aren't as dangerous as the other items they come across and aren't as careful handling as they should be.)  All incidents in which the bomb squad is dispatched out are reported to the FBI and ATF and are added to a database.  The database can be used as a resource for training.  

Captain Liebig also briefly discussed terrorism.  He stated that terrorism is always evolving.  It's not necessarily group driven, there are many lone wolves out there.  Recruitment for terroist groups is often now done via the internet. More than 30 terrorist plots in the US have been foiled since 9-11.  Captain Liebig mentioned a few of them.  For confidentiality reasons, I didn't take notes about those and won't post any info here.  Captain Liebig talked about the 7 stages of an Attack Cycle which include:  Selecting a target, surveillance (of target location), final selection of target, planning, final surveillance, deploy attack team, and attack.  

Sergeant Mike McDonough discussed Crash Investigations.  There are 4 officers assigned to investigate crashes (they are called crashes instead of accidents).  They have regular duties as well as crash investigations.  The 4 Elements of Crash Reduction/Life Saving include:  Traffic Enforcement, Engineering, EMS, Education.  Raytown averages about 550 crashes per year which has decreased from almost 730 crashes per year in 2000.  Some of the reasons proposed as to why the crashes have decreased is safety (cars are safer), education, traffic enforcement.

Detectives Gary Davis and Nathan Brand discussed Narcotics Investigations.  This unit has been active for about a year and a half.  In 2012 they made 2308 arrests for marijuana and seized nearly 300lbs.  Missouri is known as the meth capital of the US with Independence, MO ranking at or near the top every year in cities with the most meth arrests/activity. That's not exactly something to be proud of Independence!  With Raytown being so close to Independence, detectives keep busy tracking and arresting meth users.  Bath salts were discussed briefly.  They are illegal to be sold in Raytown.  Residents were encouraged to report any strange activity that could be drug related to the detectives.  They provided their contact info to participants attending class last night. 

Detective Brett Clear discussed Juveniles.  A juvenile is considered to be a child less than 17 years of age.  Every effort is made to contact a parent when a juvenile is apprehended or contacted by police as a witness to be interviewed.  The miranda rights should be given to a juvenile in terms they can understand.  Juveniles are not arrested, they are apprehended.  They can be handcuffed as needed.

Detective Clear talked briefly about juvenile court which is making a comeback in Raytown.  Juvenile court is a special court or department of a trial court which deals with under-age defendants charged with crimes or who are neglected or out of the control of their parents. The normal age of these defendants is under 17, but juvenile court does not have jurisdiction in cases in which minors are charged as adults. The goal of juvenile court is rehabilitation!

And last but not least, Officer Uriel Ojeda discussed gangs. I did not take notes to include here because this was one of the topics in the JCSO Citizen's Academy I was asked not to blog about so for confidentiality reasons I will not blog about gangs in this entry either other than to say that Raytown PD does not believe there are active gangs in Raytown but there may be gang members living in Raytown who participate in active gangs in the KC metro area.  Because Raytown is surrounded by KC, it is important to the PD to keep up on gang activity in the KC area for the safety of Raytown residents.

Next week we are back at the library to listen to more speakers regarding the following topics:  Domestic Violence, Hope House, Senior Programs, PIO's and Social Media, and Crisis Negotiations.

Week 2: Patrol - Raytown Police Citizen's Academy

Week 2 of the Raytown Police Citizen's Academy was a busy one! 

We met at the police department in the squad room where Captain Randy Hudspeth kicked off the night with a discussion about Department Structure.  He went over what his role entails as the Patrol Captain.  He oversees patrol and the crisis intervention team.  Captain Hudspeth explained in more detail how the chain of command works during an incident.  The group asked lots of questions which was great!

Captain Hudspeth talked about training.  They send officers to either KCMO Police Departments Academy or the Police Academy at Blue River Community College depending on when a candidate is hired and which academy is about to begin. The Kansas City programs whether it be at KCPD or BRCC is a 600 hour program compared to other programs that are only 470 hours.  Captain Hudspeth indicated that officers hired by Raytown PD must be at the top of their class.  They don't hire below average officers.  I asked what the drop out rate was for recruits in the academy.  Captain Hudspeth wasn't sure but estimated it could range from 20-40 percent (nationwide).  Raytown is not shy to dismiss a recruit who is not performing well again citing that they only want the best! 

Captain Hudspeth also went over different incident situations RPD experiences.  Chief Lynch reviews all incidents involving use of force, car chases, barricaded subjects and other critical incidents.  Captain Hudspeth reviewed the Priority of Life which is in the following order:  1) Victims/Hostages; 2) Innocent Bystanders; 3) Officer; 4) Suspect.  In other words, victims life comes first, innocent bystanders are next, officer survival is next and suspect is last in priority when evaluating a life threatening situation.  One question a participant asked was in regard to when an officer can shoot a suspect.  Captain Hudspeth briefly reviewed Tennessee vs. Garner. Prior to 1985 if an officer has given notice of an intent to arrest a criminal suspect and the suspect flees or forcibly resists, "the officer may use all the necessary means to effect the arrest" including shooting the suspect. This law was viewed as a violation of the Fourth Amendment.  After 1985 (and the suit Tennessee vs. Garner) officers have to have probable cause for believing that a suspect "poses a significant threat of death or serious physical injury," and cannot shoot a suspect just for trying to evade arrest.  If you want to read the case law regarding Tennessee vs. Garner follow this link:  http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=us&vol=471&invol=1.


Next up was Detective Anthony Hall who discussed the Color Guard.  He was dressed in uniform and explained what was different from the Color Guard uniform vs. the uniform they wear working patrol, etc.  The Color Guard performs at Special Events including sporting events, funerals, parades, etc.  There are 5 full time and 3 reserve officers that make up the Color Guard.  Officers must go through a selection process to become part of the Color Guard.

 

Next was Sgt. Jared Rogers who discussed SWAT.  He brought equipment out to allow participants to get an up close look at.  I failed to take pictures, sorry!  SWAT is a part time unit meaning officers have regular roles they participate in whether it be patrol, traffic, etc and are on-call for critical incidents that would require the tactical team (ie SWAT).  They are on call 24/7.  The SWAT team must go through special training and generally has 2 days of specific SWAT training per month on top of their regular duties and training.  They must also be more proficient with their firearms.  They must qualify at 90% or better on their weapons versus officers who are required to only qualify at 70% or higher on their weapons.  Sgt. Rogers joked that "we (SWAT) show up when the cops call 911".  I probably wasn't supposed to repeat that comment... oops! :-)  SWAT is activated in situations such as Barricaded Subjects, High Risk Warrant (Felony), Hostage Rescue and Counter Terrorism.  SWAT includes snipers, an entry team and a perimeter team.  There are currently no women on the SWAT team.  Sgt. Rogers indicated that no women currently serving as officers at RPD have expressed interest in being on SWAT.  RPD has 7 sworn female officers.

 

The remainder of class included a tour of the building.  We got to spend a few minutes in Dispatch.  Dispatch handled approximately 45,000 calls in 2012.  They have longevity in Dispatch with one employee being there for 32 years and another for 26 years.  Wow, that's impressive!  Talk about continuity of care. 

                                     

A few minutes in Booking:

 Booking Window

And because some prisoners were brought in from Johnson County MO (Wed is court day) we were not able to go in to Detention.  This is as far as we got:

Door to Detention

And finally, we reviewed the vehicles used in their fleet including the patrol cars, motorcycles, unmarked cars, SWAT van, Command Vehicle and portable communications.  No pics, sorry!  

 

I am actually enjoying this Citizen's Academy a little more than I anticipated.  I decided to attend because I wanted to see what was different between a Sheriff's Office and a Police Department.  I thought I would attend KCMO or Shawnee's academy but when this opportunity came up I decided to go with it.  I am on the waiting list for KCMO so who knows, maybe I will attend that one in the future.  For now, I am experiencing what I can at RPD.  I think I am enjoying this one more because I am not under as much stress as I was when I attended the JCSO academy.  If you recall (or don't know), I experienced a fire just before the JCSO academy started.  At the same time as the fire, a major changed occurred for me at work and well for lack of a better way to say it.... I was stressed!  I did this blog thinking it would help me heal (plus I had already told someone I would blog about the citizen's academy!).  In a way it did help me heal, but in a way it made attending the citizen's academy more stressful.  Once people knew I was doing the blog it became more of a job than I anticipated and I was getting attention I didn't anticipate getting (from JCSO and others).  I didn't tell anyone this time around that I was blogging about the citizen's academy.  I know from the JCSO academy what things I probably should not blog about and so therefore I will keep things confidential that should stay confidential (and if I'm not sure I'll ask!).  I will probably be less specific this time around and use the blog to summarize rather than detail the academy.  So far, I feel like it has been a good approach.  We'll see what the future holds... 

 

Next week we are back at the Library for a more lecture type atmosphere and will cover things such as bomb squad (Lee's Summit PD will be presenting), Crash Investigation, Narcotics, Gangs, etc.  Stop by here next week if you want to read the summary.

 

 Oh and for the record... I didn't take any of these pics myself.  They are borrowed from the RPD facebook page.

Week 1 - Raytown Police Department Citizen's Academy

Last night (1/16/13) was the first night of the Raytown Police Departments Citizen's Academy.  I was mistaken when I mentioned in yesterday's blog entry that it is their first one.  They actually have had a Citizen's Police Academy in the past but it has been several years ago.  Their goal is to get enough interest to hold a Citizen's Police Academy 2 times per year.  They were very excited about it.  It's nice to see energy in something! 

I don't understand why all Law Enforcement Agencies don't hold a Citizen's Police Academy.  It is a great way to meet the community that they are sworn to protect and serve.  Facebook, Twitter and other social media outlets are great for getting information out there but if you truly want to connect with the community I still believe that good old fashion face to face communication is the best.  You know what happened last night at the first night of the Citizen's Police Academy?  People asked questions!  and they got answers!  Real communication happened! 

Civilian Marilyn Flemming is the Community Service Unit Coordinator.  She kicked off the night by providing the agenda, making introductions and informing everyone what to expect over the next 8 weeks.  She runs a tight ship and kept the class moving on time!

Chief James Lynch

Next up was Chief James Lynch.  He actually went around the room and introduced himself to everyone and made a point to shake hands and say thank you for attending.  He talked about the history of the Raytown Police Department.  I won't blog about all the details like I did in the previous academy I attended but I did learn something new.  Chief Lynch is elected not appointed.  I thought only Sheriff's were elected but apparently some cities elect their Chief.  It has to do with being a Fourth Class City in Missouri.  I am not entirely sure what that means so I will have to look that up.  Chief Lynch provided a brief explanation about what it means to be a Fourth Class City but I didn't take notes and don't recall enough to fully explain it here.  It's always nice to learn something new! 

Major Ted Bowman

Lastly but not least... Major Ted Bowman discussed Rank Structures, Policies, Rules and General Criminal Justice Process.  They follow a paramilitary system.  It was interesting to learn about Department Organizational Structure and how the Incident Command System works within the organizational structure. Formal rank vs. operational rank, operations commander vs. incident commander, etc.  I won't even begin to try to explain it.  If you want to learn more... attend a Citizen's Academy!  :)

Next week Patrol will be discussed.

Line up... Raytown Police Department Citizen's Academy

Here is the Line Up for the 8 Week Citizen's Police Academy:

Week 1:   Introduction and Orientation, History of Department, Rank Structure, Policies, Rules and General Criminal Justice Process

Week 2:  Patrol Operation, Tour of Department, Introduction to Vehicles in Fleet

Week 3:   Bomb Squad, Crash Investigation, Narcotics, Juveniles and Gangs

Week 4:  Domestic Violence, Hope House, Senior Programs, Public Information Officers and Crisis Negotiation Team

Week 5:   Crime Analysis, Crime Scene Investigation, Emergency Management, and Patrol Operations

Week 6:  Firearm Safety/FATS Simulator

Week 7:  Recruiting, Training of Officers and Civilian Employees, Raytown Crime Watch Team, Neighborhood Crime Watch, Overview of VIPS program and Q&A

Week 8:  Review of Academy (what we liked, didn't like, changes recommended, etc), Interest in VIPS program and CERT training.  Final Q&A.  Closing and Graduation.

New Citizens Academy, New Opportunity...

Raytown (MO) Police Department will be hosting a Citizen's Police Academy. It starts tonight (January 16, 2013) and lasts 8 weeks. I believe this is their first Citizen's Police Academy. I'll find out tonight and update this blog if I am incorrect. Topics covered during this 8 week program include:  crime analysis, patrol operations, domestic violence, narcotics investigation, and Neighborhood Crime Watch programs. It also includes a ride along with an officer in their patrol division. 

For more information about Raytown Police Department or to learn more about their Citizen's Police Academy visit their facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/RaytownPolice or their website at http://www.raytown.mo.us/. They are also on twitter @RaytownPD and have a blog on blogspot:  http://raytownpolice.blogspot.com/. 

 

Part of my goal in participating in a Citizen's Academy is to improve community relations with local Fire, EMS and Police agencies. As noted in my blog, I am a Disaster Services Technician (DAT) with the Red Cross. Many times when arriving on scene of a disaster whether it be a fire, flood, tornado, etc., Fire, EMS and Police may be on scene. As a DAT it's important to be able to work cooperatively with Fire, EMS and Police. I am also interested in becoming CERT certified which will entangle me a little more with Fire, EMS and Police. I have a background in EMS but since it's been a while, I did a ride along with a friend who worked with Raytown EMS a year or so ago. Now I am getting the opportunity to do a ride along with Raytown Police. Looking forward to that since it will be with a friend who works in patrol with RPD! :) 

 

In 2012 I attended a citizen's academy through Johnson County (KS) Sheriff's Office which was a great experience. Now I want to see what differences there are between a Sheriff's Office and Police Department (if any). Still not sure how much I will blog about this experience but thought I would at least give Raytown Police Department some blog time since they are allowing me to attend their academy. There is no residency requirement to attend their citizen's academy so even though I live in Kansas I can attend.  I encourage anyone interested in learning more about law enforcement to attend a citizen's academy or at least do a ride along with a local agency. You can learn more about local agencies offering a citizen's academy by clicking here or find an agency that offers a ride along program by clicking here. 

 

As with JCSO, Raytown Police Department has volunteer opportunities for citizens. I live in Kansas, work in Missouri and since I am not a resident of Raytown I am not sure if there are volunteer opportunties for me. It's worth a listen though. I hope to increase my volunteer hours this year. I really fell out of sync last year due to the stressful year I had. Volunteering and running always seem to help get me back in to routine so I am exploring different volunteer opportunities this year. I am sure I will blog about those opportunties as they arise. New Citizen's Academy, New Opportunity...  Looking forward to seeing what 2013 presents. Thanks for reading! 

 

New Year, New Resolutions?

I don't know about you but I don't make new years resolutions. They simply don't work. Your intentions may be good but by Feb you have already failed and say "oh well, I'll do it NEXT year." Why set yourself up for failure year after year? Instead...set goals - measurable and attainable goals.

I have 2 goals that I want to accomplish this year...increase my volunteer hours (200+) and run the Marine Corps Marathon. What will happen if I attain these 2 goals? I'll lose weight, feel better physically, feel better mentally, make better choices.... etc. That sounds better than making resolutions that I won't keep!

 

2012 was by far the most difficult year of my life. I experienced more stress than I could imagine possible and I didn't respond well to it. I'm human and I made some silly mistakes because my emotions got to me. I am currently seeing a therapist. It's actually not by choice but it's something I have to do so I am sucking it up and going. Doc thinks I have PTSD and am depressed. Two fires in a two week period (Feb 23 & Mar 6) and a major change at work will do that to you I guess. The therapist is helping me think positive about things. That brings me back to my goals. I never feel better about myself than when I am volunteering or running. Volunteering gives me the opportunity to help others, running gives me the opportunity to help myself. So, I guess you could say I have a third goal - to try to see the positive in life and do positive things. I know if I volunteer and run I will find the positive in life.

I will be attending another citizens academy soon. It's a city agency this time. Want to see what's different between police officers and sheriff deputies. Looking forward to it! Not sure I will blog about it though. It was a lot of work blogging about the JCSO citizens academy. I think I want to just sit back and experience this one. Who knows though, maybe I'll change my mind once the academy starts. That brings me back to volunteering. As with JCSO, volunteer opportunities will be discussed during this citizens academy. I see many opportunities to increase my volunteer hours this year. I can't wait to explore those opportunities and of course blog about them! Happy New Year! Set some goals and make 2013 your best year yet!