Photo courtesy of Deputy John Baggett.
Leah Eagle practices at the shooting range during the Tactical Response Unit of the Citizen’s Sheriff Academy.
As I’m wrapping up everything for this month’s issue, I have completed six of my eight classes in the Shelby County Citizens Sheriff’s Academy.
Here’s what we did during October.
CLASS 4: CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS DIVISION
This class covered topics that were tough to hear, including violent crimes, sex crimes (specifically crimes against children) and child abuse. Some of the things we learned about and the recordings we heard were really disturbing.
The class was taught by investigator Ken Prady, who is over the Criminal Investigations Division. He shared that in 73% to 79% of violent crimes, the person committing the crime is someone who is known by the victim. There is a multidisciplinary team in Shelby County that is made up of local law enforcement, the district attorney’s office, the Department of Human Resources, the Shelby County Board of Education and Children’s Hospital staff, who work together in cases involving crimes against children.
CLASS 5: SHELBY COUNTY JAIL AND TOUR
So, this wasn’t my first time at the Shelby County Jail. I wrote a story for 280 Living back in January 2020 and did a tour of the jail then. I felt better the second time around, since I knew what awaited me. And it’s not at all what you might expect.
Newly named Jail Commander Capt. Denver McCool led our group on a tour of almost the entire facility, from where inmates are brought in, through the booking process, the health care unit, kitchen, one of the inmates' pods and then to the central command area, with views of all the cameras throughout the jail. There were 476 inmates during our tour, 54 of which were federal inmates. That included Joran van der Sloot, who was in an isolated cell before he was sent back to Peru to serve another murder sentence there.
The Shelby County Jail was the first jail in the state to be accredited by the National Institute for Jail Operations (and has maintained that accreditation) and the first to have a canine in the jail. Other interesting facts include that inmates are fed three meals a day on a budget of $2.25 and 72-hour court hearings are done at the jail via Zoom after an inmate is brought in.
CLASS 6: TACTICAL RESPONSE UNIT (Formerly SWAT)
This class was super fun, and we got to visit the Sheriff’s Training Center in Columbiana. We learned about the Mobile Field Force, a team made up of 18 officers from the SCSO and Hoover Police Department who respond to riots or protests, handle high-risk transports and have a presence at large-scale community events. We also heard from members of the hostage negotiation team and the tactics they implement during those situations to reach a peaceful resolution.
We took a tour of the mobile unit that they work out of during these situations. A multi-jurisdictional response unit was created in July 2013 and open to all cities and municipalities, intended to protect and save human life, assist with hazardous search warrants and provide security and protection for high-risk transports and VIPs.
SPECIAL ACTIVITY: RANGE DAY
I wasn’t able to make it to the Saturday class with my group, so I got approval to do a makeup class, which was a one-on-one firearms safety course from Deputy John Baggett at the Sheriff’s Training Center.
I had only shot a gun once in my life, more than six years ago at a tactical center. So, total gun novice here. During this course, I learned all about different guns, gun safety and spent some time at the firing range trying out a few. The SCSO also offers a citizen firearm safety course, to Shelby County residents over age 21 who pass a background check and have no criminal record.
I learned the four rules of firearm safety: know the status of the weapon at all times; don’t point a weapon at anything you’re not willing and prepared to destroy; keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are aligned and you’re ready to fire; and know your target — what is in the foreground, background and flanks.
I learned that I am a better shooter with a gun that has the red target to aim at, and my best shot was with a Glock 17.
Next month, I’ll share about our final class and graduation, along with some comments from some of my classmates about their experience and dates for the next Citizens Sheriff’s Academy opportunity.
