By Staff
I don't know about anyone else around this town, but for some reason, today I feel a little safer and I know that feeling will continue.
On Tuesday, I was witness to a practice run of a group of Brewton policemen who are going through some special training to help better serve their community. As I watched the men work together as a team, it gave me an understanding of what they face on a daily basis.
I realize that not every call officers answer puts them in physical danger. But there are those times when they are put in harms way either by a frightened criminal who doesn't want to be arrested or by stray bullets in a street fight. Even if they only have to face something like that once in their lives, it's too dangerous for my liking.
Tuesday's exercise was a follow-up to an exercise held in Atmore two weeks ago. FBI agents from Mobile brought their expertise to Escambia County to help our guys learn better ways of protecting the people they serve. The group learned things like how to storm a house or building as they look for dangerous criminals. They learned how to conduct themselves as a group so that one, two or even three officers have the backs of the other officers on the scene. I saw how well this group worked together and that made me fell safer.
One other reason I know that feeling of safety will linger for a while is the fact that 30 teenagers are interested enough in law enforcement to learn more about it.
Those teens, boys and girls, will be learning more about forensic science, air patrols and who knows what else as they take part in the Youth Police Academy. The weeklong event will show how police handle themselves in a variety of situations, giving these teens a clear perception of what life as a police officer is like.
Because of the training members of the Brewton Police Department have received over the past couple of weeks, I feel better about the department. I didn't feel badly about them to start with, but I am even more confident about their abilities after seeing them in action. Even if the SRT or other officers in Brewton never have to use the training, I'm happy knowing they are trained to respond. Just knowing the group is willing to do what it takes to make sure they have all of their bases covered makes me feel better.
The training and education of students in the Youth Police Academy is also a great equalizer. I'm sure after a week of intensive activities and learning sessions, the students will have a pretty good idea of whether or not they want to go into the field of law enforcement. That gives me hope that this area will someday be served by those who have a sense of pride and dedication to a job that insures my safety.
I hope that you will take an opportunity to thank the officers in this area for the work they do. We may never know exactly what they go through and are faced with in their jobs as they strive to remove criminals from our streets and provide a safe place to live. If you have an opportunity, you may want to express some thanks to the people who conduct the Youth Police Academy for opening up doors of knowledge for the future officers of this area.
Rest comfortably tonight. I feel confident we are safe.
Lisa Tindell is a news reporter for The Brewton Standard. She can be reached at 867-4876 or by email at lisa.tindell@brewtonstandard.com.