While our great country has thick societal scars, we have
created landmark legislation in a generation that has had profound impact on
the lives of a segment of the population.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was one of those landmark legislative
accomplishments. The Law Enforcement
Agency responsible for protecting those rights is the Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI). The Civil Rights Division of the FBI highest priority is
Hate Crimes, with Racial being the highest subprogram priority. The segment of the population that is most
vulnerable expects this agency to fulfill that priority with all the Law
Enforcement tools at the local, state and federal levels. However, there are cases where the same
resources that are tasked to carry out those mandates abuse their powers to detain
and violate the civil rights of the same citizens which require that
protection. The FBI also has a focus on
Color of Law violations which prosecutes Judges, Prosecutors, Security Guards,
and Law Enforcement Officers that disregard the public trust. Because of those abuses, we have generations
of individuals that have an innate fear of those chartered to protect and
serve. There are those that express
their frustration in several ways. They
may protest in pubic, vent on social media, or attempt to get a deep
understanding of the Law Enforcement Administrations and how they should
function.
I was one of those individuals that had a very deep
frustration and concern for the way the wheels of our country’s criminal
justice system were moving. I became
tired of having tremendous fear and anxiety every time a squad car or flashing
lights passed by my vehicle. I also became
tired of the fact that segments of generations of parents have and continue
give a “workshop” on how to interact with Law Enforcement commonly called “The
Talk”. However, I would not complain
anymore unless I completely understood how the system works to accurately
criticize any aspects of it. One day I decided that it was time for a personal
change. After many hours of research, I found several Florida Law Enforcement
Citizens Academies. Local Police
Departments offering unadvertised 13 week intense trainings for the community
to understand all aspects of law enforcement.
Then advanced, selective Federal Programs sponsored by the DEA and
FBI. I had the privilege to attend both
local and federal programs.
The local Citizens Academy covered topics ranging from
understanding the local Officer mindset during a traffic stop, to SWAT and K-9
Unit raids, to robotic use in bomb situations, to visiting and talking with
Prison Guards and low risk Prisoners, to simulating an active shooter situation
in a school with the Police simulator, to visiting the Regional Communications
Dispatch and 911 Call Centers, to in-depth review of Florida State Statutes. Getting
to sit in a classroom setting and with the opportunity to ask candid questions
on all topics with local Law Enforcement Commanders was probably the most valuable
of the Citizens Academy program. A quote
by one of Colonels in the Sheriff’s Office that remained with me was “Respect
is not given, it is earned”. This was a
guideline that he continues to use with all the Officers that he is responsible
for. This experience was the catalyst
to explore the Federal Citizens Academies beginning with the Drug Enforcement
Agency (DEA) Miami Field Office.
The highlight of the DEA Citizens Academy was the class
participating in a simulated large drug bust.
The DEA Team had each student partner with an Officer and mirror their
pre-planning coordination and suspect reviews. Immediately leading to an actual
execution of a complete raid and bust in full equipment and vehicles. The
topics during the 7-week training ranged from examining DEA Legal Authority
Title 21, to drug investigations, narco-terrorism and financial investigations,
examination of synthetic drugs, clandestine labs, surveillance/ undercover techniques,
and firearms training. The information
about drug trafficking in our country and the global network were truly
enlightening. The last experience was
the FBI Citizens Academy.
All 8 Weeks of the training were thought provoking and
extremely informative. The topics ranged from the Civil Rights Division, counter
terrorism, counter intelligence, SWAT Operations and Emergency Response Team
(ERT) functions. The highlights were collaborating
with a student to investigate a simulated Bank Robbery and meeting with FBI
Legal to discuss my decision in use of lethal force and mapping my actions to
compliance with use of force guidelines.
Lastly, an actual SWAT Operation simulation of retrieving a hostage in a
house.
I can say that the time investment was personally
beneficially. Taking these actions
helped me overcome the long-standing issues that were like a dark cloud. This investment will provide you with better
tools to overcome your fears and increase your knowledge on all aspects of
these Agencies. I encourage you to look for the various Citizens Academies
Programs in your area. Erase the fear.
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