Officer Mitchell with his K9 partner, Mylo.
When I saw the announcement for the Citizens’ Police Academy in the Observer, I jumped at the opportunity to learn more about policing for a book I’m planning.
The Academy involved seven weeks of two-hour classes, which might sound daunting, but it was so engaging that I looked forward to each evening. Our class of 14 was so enthusiastic, we became known for all the questions we asked. Sergeant Geoffrey Miner ran the sessions, but each class included other speakers. Of the force’s 21 sworn members, we met 13, along with a canine officer from East Windsor. Suffield is getting a police dog this summer, so be on the lookout for our own K9 unit. All the officers were friendly and eager for us to better understand their careers.
Sgt. Miner describes the items on his 40 lb. vest.
Besides getting the information I needed, I was impressed with the entire operation of the Suffield Police Department. Chief Canon and Captain Palmer, with extensive experience from the State Police and Academy, have emphasized training and career advancement. The positive energy from the men and women who spoke to us was palpable.
The Suffield Police Department emphasizes de-escalation methods to reduce the need for Use of Force and were trained to calmly manage those with mental health and intoxication issues. When force is needed, they are ready, and they demonstrated various methods to deal with more serious incidents.
Suffield’s School Resource Officer discussed getting to know the students to help them make better choices and, if they do get into trouble, the town uses restorative justice methods as much as possible. The goal is to get juvenile offenders on the right track, rather than to penalize them for the rest of their lives for mistakes made during adolescence.
In Suffield, the police are all trained as EMRs or EMTs. When we call 911, the dispatcher at the station alerts all relevant service agencies. Since the police are already on the road, they’re often the first responders. Don Miner from Suffield Volunteer Ambulance demonstrated various aspects of emergency medicine, including how to operate the now fairly ubiquitous AED devices. Perhaps a life will be saved because of that bonus training we received.
Suffield Police make plenty of traffic stops, but they want to change the behavior of the driver for safety reasons, not to give out as many tickets as possible. In fact, ticket quotas are illegal in Connecticut. DUI arrests have dropped precipitously in the last ten years because of Uber/Lyft, and they have NOT seen a surge in driving issues after marijuana was legalized. Most stolen vehicles these days are taken because the keys are left in the car, so don’t do that!
We had a tour of the station, including the holding cells in the back, the equipment they use, and demonstrations of the drone that was donated to the Department by the Suffield Women’s Group. It is often used for accident reconstruction after serious incidents (bird’s eye view) and for search and rescue, often in conjunction with a police dog.
Participants were invited to join police officers in a Ride-Along program to get a taste of their duty days. During mine, the officer used the computer in his vehicle in real time to check out cars going by with something that might flag a larger issue. A car without a front license plate (illegal) was identified as unregistered and uninsured for the last seven years (very illegal). That driver was stopped, ticketed and had their car towed away.
I can’t describe all the interesting things we learned, so I highly recommend you take the course when it’s offered again next spring. In the meantime, bring your kids to National Night Out on August 5, and get to know our police officers who strive to keep us all safe.