10-week course
for civilians to cover police ethics, impacts of drunken driving, active
shooter procedures
I'll bet Sen. Elaine Morgan will be there! She loves pretending to be a cop. |
You’ve
always wanted to know how police investigate a crime, what they see and deal
with when pulling over a drunken driver, how they train civilians for an active
shooter incident and the ethical standards that govern their profession.
The
University of Rhode Island Police Department is offering you that opportunity
through its first Citizens Police Academy, a 10-week course that begins
Thursday, Sept. 22 and runs through Thursday, Dec. 1.
Each
lecture/demonstration runs from 6 to 8 p.m. and most are held in Swan Hall, 60
Upper College Road. The program is free and open to the public, but it can only
accommodate a maximum of 15 people, so register in advance at
http://web.uri.edu/police/department-services/citizens-police-academy/.
The
Citizens Police Academy, which was finalized over the summer, is a result of
the department’s community policing policy developed by Maj. Michael Jagoda.
"I constantly ask myself, why now, with the
police more highly trained than ever and being the best equipped in history, is
there such a lack of confidence in the police? We want to show community
members, through our community policing initiatives and particularly, this
academy, that the public safety and police leadership at URI is committed to
the highest standards.”
The
schedule of classes, topics and speakers is:
Sept. 22, Introduction
to URI Public Safety and Police Department, Director and Police Chief Stephen
Baker, Police Maj. Michael Jagoda; Assistant Director of Public Safety and
Director of Emergency Management Sam Adams and Parking Services Manager Joseph
Paradise.
Sept. 29, 2016, Active
Shooter, Sgt. Michael Flanagan and Patrolman Paul Hanrahan. Through a U.S.
Department of Homeland Security grant, Flanagan and Hanrahan completed an
instructor training class in Georgia. They are trained to instruct civilians on
best practices in an active shooter incident.
Oct. 6, 2016, Criminal
Investigations, Lt. Richard Moniz and Det. Mark Brasil. The two will discuss
investigations into serious crimes such as assault, sexual assault, felony drug
violations, as well as probes into untimely deaths.
Oct. 13, Driving Under
the Influence of Alcohol or Drugs and Investigations by the State Medical
Examiner. The program will include demonstrations with the Providence Police
Department’s BAT (Blood, Alcohol Testing) Mobile and a discussion by state
Medical Examiner Daniel Price.
Oct. 20, Computer
Crimes and Safety, Rhode Island State Police Computer Crimes Det. Adam Houston,
and Ethics, URI Police Lt. Michael Chalek. Chalek, former chief of the Cranston
Police Department, is certified by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to teach
police ethics.
Oct. 27, Alcohol
Awareness and Fatal Vision Goggles, Patrolmen Cameron Schneck, John Bush and
Hanrahan. In addition to a lecture and discussion, participants will wear
special goggles, which simulate levels of inebriation, and then ride tricycles
through an obstacle course to experience how drunkenness reduces reaction time,
physical performance and awareness.
Nov. 3, Domestic
Violence and Sexual Assault, Assistant Attorney General Charles Calenda will
discuss state law and how it governs cases of domestic violence and sexual
assault.
Nov. 10, Practical
Skills Training, including students using a firearms training simulator. “They
will be put in shoot/don’t shoot scenarios to get a sense of the split-second
decisions police must make,” Jagoda said.
Nov. 17, Rhode Island
State Crime Laboratory at URI, Director Dennis Hilliard, program will be held
at Fogarty Hall, Room 220.
Nov. 24, Thanksgiving,
no class
Dec. 1, URI’s Public
Safety Partners, Police K9 Demonstration and graduation ceremony, South
Kingstown Police Capt. Joel Ewing-Chow, Narragansett Police Capt. Scott Perin,
State Police Lt. Eric Jones; URI Sgt. Erica Vieira and Jagoda.