Police Academy

This past Friday I got to have an amazing experience courtesy of the Phoenix Police Academy. The City Manager's office (where I intern) took some state legislators that represent Phoenix on a tour of the Phoenix Police Academy.

We started at 10:00 in the video simulation room where officers are presented with real-life scenarios and must decide when, or if, they are required to use deadly force. The video was projected on a large screen and participates were equipped with a laser gun, though it had a real trigger mechanism. If and when the participant shot the simulator read the laser to determine where the "bullet" would have hit and then changes the simulation accordingly. It really put a new, and sobering, perspective on police shootings.

From there we got to observe a real training exercise based on the famous Los Angeles bank robbery where two suspects were wearing bulletproof armor and carrying automatic weapons. The exercise took place in the academy's "Tactical Village" which is a couple of real houses and a convenience store designed to mimic real-life potential layouts. The participants used real guns and "simmunition", real bullets but with paint balls instead of lead.

We observed two, seven man squads run an unscripted exercise in trying to neutralize two heavily armed and armored bad guys (played by two Phoenix police officers). We were perched on the third story roof of one of the houses with full access to the police communications.

To say this was cool would be a grand understatement. In fact, this was probably one of the coolest experiences I have ever been a part of. To see the exercise unfold like a chess match was mesmerizing. Adding to the experience was the fact that for all intent and purpose this was real: real guns, real sounding ammunition, real confusion and real mistakes.

All of the officers from Phoenix PD were extremely kind, knowledgeable and instructive. It was a wonderful learning experience for me and I'm sure that the legislators would concur.