Other than spending a little extra time in jail and handling some slightly intimidating and cumbersome weapons, the third installment of the Cloquet Citizen's Police Academy went off without incident, ending in a graduation celebration last week.
"We all enjoy putting on the academy for citizens and this was a great group," said Cloquet Police Deputy Chief Terry Hill, who organized the program. "They were interested, asked a lot of questions and had fun with it too."
Citizen's Police Academy is designed to give participants firsthand knowledge of the inner workings of the police department over nine weeks. It also serves to develop better working partnerships with Cloquet and Fond du Lac Reservation residents.
The 10 participants learned everything from the history of the department to today's department statistics, such as the number of officers, 19, the fact that they would like to hire two more, and although they lack female officers, they would like to have them in their ranks.
Participants also learned extensively about the duties of Cloquet officers, from patrol officers to detectives to sergeants. There is also one canine officer and one Cloquet High School liaison officer. Those participating in the sessions met many of the officers, who not only described their duties, but relayed anecdotes and related the information to current events.
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"I very much appreciated learning about the department and how they work with other departments, including Fond du Lac Reservation and the Carlton County Sheriff's Office," said Cloquet resident John Sanders.
In-depth tours were given of the 911 call center, Carlton County Jail and the Carlton County Law Enforcement Center. People working in those areas provided the tours, and participants saw a very small slice of working life in each department. A 911 call about a bear sighting in a neighborhood held up the tour, but allowed the group to see the real workings of dispatch.
So many questions were asked on the jail tour that the class continued over an hour longer than usual. Someone finally asked, "Will we be getting out of here soon?" which was met with laughter and the stock phrase, "You are free to go."
Detectives gave detailed presentations about drug use in the county and how they work to arrest drug dealers who live and travel through the area. They were candid, and showed samples of a variety of substances, from the different versions of methamphetamine to marijuana.
Maybe the most memorable sessions for people were the ride-alongs with officers and the Firearm Simulation Training (FATS), where participants were put through their paces in simulated police situations using a high-tech computer program.
Hill, along with Duluth Police Sergeant and part-time Fond du Lac Law Enforcement instructor Bob Scheen were on hand to run the equipment, choose scenarios and facilitate lively discussion and analysis of the group's split-second decisions.
Scheen ran the program so each participant could get a taste of "shoot, no shoot" situations and could decide when and if to shoot as scenarios played out on a nearly life-sized screen on the wall. A handgun with compressed air allowed people to fire when they deemed appropriate during situations that ranged from violent domestic abuse scenes to hostage situations. Many participants learned that it can be a major challenge to decide if and when to shoot and that officers usually only have a few short minutes or even seconds to make those crucial decisions. When those decisions are made in high-pressure situations, aiming and firing a handgun is not as easy as it might seem on T.V.
"To keep sharp, our officers use this training a few times a year," explained Hill. "Dave Greenman, Fond du Lac Law Enforcement skills coordinator, and Scott Lyons, director of law enforcement at Fond du Lac, made the experience possible for the group."
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Overall, most participants came away from the experience with more appreciation for everyone working within the police department. And although life as a police officer in Cloquet is definitely less dramatic than shown in movies, that is a good thing for the public.
"One of our officers said once that the job is 98 percent boredom and 2 percent sheer terror," joked Cloquet Police Chief Wade Lamirande. "But when a situation arises, officers are trained and ready to handle it."
Pine Journal Editor Lisa Baumann participated in the Cloquet Citizen's Police Academy course this spring.
