2/28/13 Citizen’s Police Academy, week 2
Today we continued to expand our understanding of the responsibilities and tasks of another level of the Frisco Police Department’s Organizational Chart. We met with experts in various upper echelons of administration who are responsible for overseeing an effective and productive police force through all levels of the rank and file. We received a summary explanation of a few of the department’s general orders, essentially police officers’ rules to live by and standard operating procedures and directives which ensure the fair, safe and profession execution of officers’ numerous duties.
A topic of recent local discussion has been the activation of another red light camera here in the city. We were afforded the opportunity to watch real time video of a few of the City of Frisco’s red light camera systems. Many scenarios were not for the faint of heart, and I found myself repeatedly leaning back and pushing down on a non-existent brake pedal. These “visual aids” thoroughly illustrated how quickly distracted driving can turn deadly and drove home the message that stopping fully for a red light at an intersection is ALWAYS a good idea.
We learned a great deal about the lengths our police department takes to remain current at its craft. Our department is one of a select group across our nation which has elected to become accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, A.K.A., CALEA (http://www.calea.org/).
Maintaining such high standards is not easy, but its worth is readily apparent by the professionalism exhibited by our officers. We also examined how crime has changed greatly just in the past ten years, as well as the characteristics of individuals recruited to combat it in this demanding vocation. As if the exacting standards for initial and secondary levels of application were not enough, the training methods employed assures me that only the finest personnel ultimately are selected to wear the Frisco Police Department’s Shield.
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I am looking forward to our next class and encourage anyone reading this to consider signing up for the next CPA class session here:
http://www.ci.frisco.tx.us/departments/police/Pages/FriscoCitizensPoliceAcademy.aspx]]>