After retiring from 38 years teaching high school, I looked for activities that would use my skills and keep me engaged in the world. One of my volunteer activities is as an assessor for the Oakland Police Department (OPD) Police Officer Trainee Oral Boards (each board is composed of a sergeant, a police officer, and a member of the community). Police Officer Trainee Oral Boards interview candidates who have passed the written exam and wish to be considered for the Police Department Training Academy (part two in a 5 to 6 step process).
I also signed up for the 28th Civilian Police Academy and found the experience informative and fascinating. We met for 14 weeks (9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturdays) and had lectures/discussions from OPD personnel on various aspects of the police department (e.g., homicide investigations; laws of arrest/search and seizure; vice/narcotics; nuisance abatement; internal affairs division; traffic enforcement; criminal investigation). We had two field trips: a Dispatch Radio Room tour and a visit to the Crime Lab.
In addition, each of us goes on a 4 to 6 hour Ride Along with a police officer. Believe me, OPD patrol have NO time for coffee and doughnuts! In my six-hour Ride Along I was in and out of the car observing everything: 911 hang-ups; juvenile suspect with possible gun; woman under the influence riding her wheelchair down International Boulevard; foot chase and arrest of two suspects in a daytime assault; possible burglary of garage; possible break-in of an abandoned house; go-cart burglary from a juvenile and pursuit of suspects; unrelated use of illegal go-cart in traffic; evening traffic stop (no license plate) assisted by the helicopter.
The Ride Along experience was not only an adrenaline rush but also gave me a real sense of what our police officers go through every day and intensified my understanding of what type of people we're looking for in the Oral Board interviews.
I urge anyone who lives or works in Oakland and cares about safety in our city to sign up for the Civilian Police Academy. It costs nothing but a time commitment. You'll go behind the headlines and gain a more thorough understanding and appreciation for our Police Department, their challenges, skills, and professionalism.
Contact Paula White for more information (pwhite\@oaklandnet.com).
Diane Stone is a Metro copyeditor.
Ed note. Opinion is a new feature of MacArthur Metro, a community newspaper. We welcome all points of view from the community. Certain guidelines apply, including coherence, relevance to the MacArthur Metro geographical readership area, and a limit of 500 words for guest opinions, 250 words for letters. For more information about writing, send a query to the editor at metroreaders\@earthlink.net. Include your telephone number.
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