Tuesday night was the 9th class for the Montgomery County Precinct 4 Constables Office Citizens Police Academy. The academy is a way to bring citizens together to be able to see what officers go through each day and what the job consists of. Just over 20 citizens have been involved in the first class. During that time the rode with Precinct 4 Deputies as they patrolled the streets of Montgomery County.. They heard from the Montgomery County District Attorney who explained what his office does to prosecute cases. Montgomery County Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace James Metts met with them to discuss how his office works. The citizens learned crime scene procedures and worked with finger printing.
Tuesday night was a bit different. The students participated in a shoot don’t shoot scenario where they were put into different situations and had to react. They carried a pistol which shot marker blanks. The bad guys were armed with blank pistols. All of the students came out not believing a decision could be so difficult.
In one situation Commissioner Jim Clark was given a scenario with three males. One was reported to be in an unknown condition and acting strangely. As Clark exited the patrol car he was met by the person who called it in. That male tried to get Clark to let him assist him in getting , “the crazy guy”, as the reportee called it. As Clark approached he was met by another individual who was recording the scene on his cell phone. As Clark tried to get him to back up , Clark continued to be distracted by the reportee. He was finally able to approach the man reported to have been disturbed. With his attention on him and the reportee, the man with the camera phone shot Clark.
Another situation was put to another student on a traffic stop. As she talked them out of the car, one man fled, she shot him in the back.
Yet another scene had 3 men fighting. The citizen officer held one suspect at gunpoint as the other suspect was doing bodily harm to the third.
After almost 4 hours in the heat last night the discussed the results with Constable Rowdy Hayden. They gave him some of the reasons for their actions and told of their heart racing, nervous, mind spinning with everything going on and how the scene has actually exhausted some both mentally and physically.
Constable hopes to start another class in the fall.
THE ATTACHED VIDEO IS THE ENTIRE EVENING WITH EACH AND EVERY CITIZEN AND HOW THEY REACTED TO THE SCENE.
