The night before this issue goes to press, I had my first class as a part of the Citizen’s Sheriff Academy, presented by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.
I’ve been wanting to take part in this for the past several years and have decided to make the commitment to be a part of this eight-week program.
It’s open to any citizen of Shelby County and provides the opportunity to experience the real world of law enforcement and what it is like to be a sheriff’s deputy.
The program is designed to help the public better understand the mission, operations and functions of the Sheriff’s Office, heighten community awareness and improve communications between the SCSO and the communities it serves.
Through 18 hours of presentations and demonstrations from the department’s deputies, we will learn some of the techniques and resources they use to train for duty, from traffic stops to drug enforcement and tactical team response.
One of the cool things my classmates and I will get to do is see up close some of the weapons used by the SCSO and what it takes to use them effectively. What I expect to be my favorite is the opportunity to “ride along” on patrol with a deputy. (What if it turns into a real life “COPS” episode?!)
We’ll also see videos of real-life situations encountered by law enforcement officers that cause you to rethink what it means for a deputy to respond to any situation, and help you gain a realistic understanding of the knowledge and skills it takes to do the job of a sheriff’s deputy.
At one of the sessions, we’ll receive basic firearms safety training and will have the opportunity to use the Sheriff’s Office firearms range — exciting!
Over the course, the topics covered will include:
- Patrol Division Overview
- Alabama Firearms Laws and Safety Training
- Corrections
- Criminal Investigations
- Drug Task Force
- Laws and the Court System
- Sheriff’s Office Organization and Staffing
- Special Units
- Tactical Response Unit
I’ll be sharing a column about my experience in each issue of 280 Living over the next few months, so stay tuned!
Leah Ingram Eagle is an editor at Starnes Media.
