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Partners in crime prevention
Citizen's Police Academy graduates 20th class
By Monique Oaks
moaks@acnpapers.com
Nineteen ceremonies had come before; Class 20's, though, was special.
"Little did I know at the beginning," said Sgt. Jon Felty of the Allen Police Department's community relations unit, "how special it was going to be."
Graduation night marked the retirement of a distinguished member of the force.
Corporal James Laramore, a longtime member of APD's criminal investigation division (CID), will retire in January.
The evening also reunited a hero with a damsel in distress.
Deb Higgins, recognizing the police officer who had given her CPR a year earlier, stood and pointed to Officer Jason Erter - his back to an angel costume on the wall behind him - and declared, "There is my hero."
One day in September 2008, Class 20 member Barry Higgins' wife, Deb, went into cardiac arrest at the couple's home. Allen police officers were the first to arrive on the scene. Barry Higgins met them at the door.
Officer Jason Erter and Corporal Mike Such attempted to revive Deb Higgins.
"She was laying down on the floor," said Officer Erter. "No pulse, no breathing; we began CPR." They continued for "a good couple of minutes," he said, until EMS arrived, got a pulse going and intubated.
The experience taught Higgins that police officers are more than law enforcers: they are highly trained public servants. He believes his wife is alive and well because of the officers' actions that day; he signed up for the CPA so he could help them help others.
"Because of volunteer work, the officers are more available to do their jobs," he said.
Officer Erter had seen Higgins, in class, but he hadn't seen Deb Higgins since that day.
The reunion was another surprise in a "very special night," said Sgt. Felty.
The CPA, offered twice a year, is a mixture of classroom instruction and field trips to educate the public about police operations, according to Roger Smith, Citizens on Patrol (COPs) coordinator. Each week covers one or more topics, including patrol, traffic, criminal investigation, administration, narcotics, use of force/shoot-don't shoot, SWAT, K-9 and more. Optional field trips include visits to the Collin County sheriff's office, jail and medical examiner's office.
Lt. Johnny Thomason led the class on accident investigation, DWI and field sobriety testing.
To demonstrate how alcohol affects motor skills, former CPA graduates are invited to have a drink - and another, and another - so that participants can see how the field sobriety test works. For Class 20, a woman accepted the challenge - and the wine. Judy Gantzer watched as the volunteer passed from drink... to drunk - even as she claimed she was fine.
"She was about ready to vomit all over everybody," she said. "I took three steps back."
For Gantzer, though, the "shoot-don't shoot" segment was the biggest eye-opener.
The previous week, the class learned that officers are trained to speak with an individual who poses a threat, explaining who they are and what behavior they expect from them.
"[You have to] have the verbal skills to get them to calm down and put down their weapons," Mrs. Gantzer said. "You have to keep talking to them the whole time."
When all else fails, however, officers may have to use force. For the shoot-don't shoot exercise, class members worked with the same simulators the officers train on.
"[There were] three guys coming out of a convenience store," Mrs. Gantzer said, describing her turn on the computer. "I had to actually start talking to them as if I were a police officer."
The mother and homeschooler of four said she grew up living next door to a drug dealer, which gave her what she knew was an inaccurate view of police in general. A desire to teach her children what police actually do - and her own curiosity - led her to attend the CPA. What she took away was a new respect for the sacrifices police officers make every day.
"They really do put their lives on the line," she said. "They're not guaranteed that they get to go home to their families."
Sgt. Felty, now in his 19th year with the CPA, remembered asking his first class what they hoped to get from their training. "They wanted gun and a badge," he said.
Upon graduation, he said, each received "a water pistol - with no water," and a "junior" badge.
Over the years, that spirit of fun has remained. But to assume Class 20 spent every week playing cops and robbers would underestimate its members.
"This class asked a lot of tough questions; very challenging," Sgt. Felty said. "It encouraged us to give more."
Class president Brian Gantzer referred to those questions as he spoke to the crowd. "Some of the details we didn't want to hear; but we heard 'em anyway."
Some things were hard to see, as well.
Gantzer recalled field trips to the county jail and medical examiner's office. "I'm really glad at both of those that we were just visitors," he said.
While the CPA's aim is to inform, it is also the first step in training Allen Police Department's "B Team," the volunteers who support the officers. CPA graduates are eligible to become Volunteers in Policing (VIPs) or Citizens on Patrol (COPs). Typically, 50 to 60 percent of the graduates of CPA will go on to the next phase, Sgt. Felty said.
VIP coordinator Walt Smithwick said VIP members perform such support services as answering phones at the front desk or directing visitors to the proper department. Volunteers also help with maintenance needs for the city's fleet of vehicles.
"Most of the VIP volunteers are retirees," said Smith, "Since hours are during the daytime." The makeup of COPs varies more, but all are volunteers, he said.
Smith said there are two phases of COPs training. The first, to begin in January, will consist of classroom instruction given by Sgt. Felty. Next, Smith will take the class to the streets for six four-hour rides within the city limits - patrolling retail centers and hospitals as well as residential areas - to provide "crime deterrence through presence."
The graduates rose and walked, amid applause and several cheers, to the front of the room to receive their diplomas. Having shared a sometimes intense education, the class members, strangers 12 weeks ago, now sat side by side, enjoying steak, bread pudding and stories. Many of them wore their class shirt: a navy blue polo bearing a Texas-shaped patch and the words, "Allen Citizen's Police Academy."
"I really thought it was going to be a bunch of information," said Judy Gantzer. "I had no idea it was so hands-on. I was very pleased with what I got."
Her husband, Brian Gantzer, agreed.
"As a citizen and a taxpayer, I'm glad I took this class," said Mr. Gantzer. "I know where my money's going."
The next CPA meets in March. Adults who live or work in Allen can fill out an application available online and bring it to the police department front desk. After background checks are conducted, Sgt. Felty will contact those who've been accepted - and Class 21 will learn how to become, as Assistant City Manager Shelli Seamer said, the "eyes and ears" of Allen.
"I want this to be the citizen's police department," Sgt. Felty said. "It's the Allen police department in title, but it belongs to the citizens of Allen."
The following are comments from the readers.
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
durdaddy wrote on Dec 2, 2009 7:36 PM:
" A very detailed and well written artical "
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