Cheri Zeman and the Rev. Bill Teng are more knowledgeable about the inner workings of the Fairfax County Police Force now that they have completed the seventh session of the Citizens Police Academy.
Titled “A Glimpse Behind the Badge," this 10-week course follows a police response from start to finish.
Fred Samborn, coordinator of the course, said, “If a robbery takes place, a student calls 911; the following week we go to 911 and hear and see what a dispatcher and call-taker do; the following week we go to a station and see how they respond. The next week it could be with the gang unit, helicopter squadron, K-9 , SWAT, etc. All the time, class members get to ask the tough questions to the police officers that actually do that function. The final Saturday, students get to shoot guns and drive cruisers. This class is open to anyone that lives or works in Fairfax County but we really try to target community leaders, ethnic diversity groups that historically are afraid of the police, and, of course, the news media.”
Zeman said, “Chief of Police David Rohrer presented the graduates with certificates and, as part of the final day of training, we got the opportunity to drive through a complex obstacle course in a police cruiser with the lights and sirens blaring. That was a thrill. In addition, we got rifle training and got to shoot police pistols, as well as a 12-gauge shotgun on the range.
“As a participant, I can tell you that it was an exciting and informative experience being part of the Citizen’s Police Academy. It’s a nine-week program that gave us as they called it a ‘glimpse behind the badge.’”
ZEMAN SAID that she did not expect to be inundated with all the information that they were given.
“It was a wealth of knowledge that they passed on, everything from the EOD [Explosive Ordinance Division] to the animal shelter to canine to narcotics, down to the culmination of the graduating session where we got to operate a Police cruiser through an obstacle course, with the lights on and sirens going and also [practice on] the shooting range. We all got an incredible experience and I would recommend it for all citizens of Fairfax County.”
Teng, who has applied for the volunteer police chaplain position, said, “It was a great experience to see behind the scenes what police officers do and what challenges they face. We take so much for granted, that it was helpful to see all they do. The whole course was very informative and each week helped us to understand the various parts of what the police officers do.”
Teng agrees that he had the most fun driving the police cruiser and going to the firing range.
“That was our reward for being there the whole time,” he said.