Monday, October 22, 2012
I aimed for a kill shot, right at the heart — a strange feeling — even if the man was just a paper target.
I'd never fired a hand gun before, I told the Pinellas County Sheriff's deputy as we walked across a grassy field to the firing range on firearms training night at the latest Pinellas County Sheriff's Office Citizens Academy class. Technically I had fired a sniper rifle before, but I only got two shots, and it was a whole other story I didn't feel like getting into. I felt excited and a little nervous when we stepped up to the range. We put on eye and ear protection, which included a radio so the instructor could communicate. A line of about 15 targets — a bad guy brandishing a handgun — was set up about seven yards away. An empty Glock pistol sat on top of a blue, plastic barrel a few yards away. With an instructor at my side and one in …
Monday, October 8, 2012
This week at Pinellas County Sheriff's Citizens Academy we visited the Forensics Science unit and it felt like sort of like walking onto the set a TV crime show.
As a fan of TV crime shows like "NCIS," "CSI," and "Bones," I wasn't sure what to expect when I arrived for my Sheriff's Citizens Academy class at the Sheriff's Forensic Science building. After all, sometimes TV shows have a tendency of putting a glamorous Hollywood spin on real life scenarios — like, c'mon, in real life (ambiguous) they can't really find out our identity by running our photo through a database, right? That's all Hollywood. Boy, was I wrong. Apparently, in real life they can run facial recognition from their patrol car and have an ID match within minutes. And the characters are real, too! Meeting members of the Forensics Science team felt like a meet-and-greet with CBS's "NCIS" characters (where are my Jethro Gibbs fans…
Monday, October 1, 2012
Learning a few defensive tactics during my third class at the Pinellas County Sheriff's Citizens Academy, while at first intimidating, proves a wise investment of time.
We were instructed to wear comfortable clothing and sneakers. We would be learning "hands on" defensive tactics, the email said. The words "comfortable clothing" and "sneakers" meant business. The closest I'd ever come to partaking in organized, group bursts of controlled aggression was a series of BodyPump classes I took in my early 20s. I can still hear our instructor, a super tiny and in-shape woman of Latin American (or Swedish) descent, screaming at us for four more "little babies," otherwise known as bicep curls, over Justin Timberlake's "Sexy Back" blaring on the loudspeaker at the ungodly hour of 6:30 a.m. My peace-seeking nature didn't care for it much, but as a woman, you do these things in hopes of shedding five pounds. In my …
Monday, September 24, 2012
My second Pinellas County Sheriff's Office Citizens Academy class brought back tragic memories, valuable lessons and information worth passing along.
The car crash images flashed up on the screen during our second Pinellas County Sheriff's Citizens Academy class, and my eyes instantly welled with tears. I was somewhat surprised at my reaction. It wasn't anything I had not seen before, but it dredged up memories I'd long since buried. In my years as a community journalist, I've been at the scene of many a DUI-related crash. I've held someone's hand through the most heart-wrenching of interviews, interviews that often left me crying with whomever had just tragically lost their wife or child to a drunk or reckless driver. Sometimes, I can still hear their sobs. The deputy shared some of what he remembered from the incident depicted on the screen in front of us. He told us that a group of…
Monday, September 17, 2012
On Day 1 at the Pinellas County Sheriff's Citizens Academy, Maj. Wayne Morris said his expectations for patrol deputies are simple: "I expect you to go home at night."
The law enforcement officer told me in a loud, clear voice to hold my name card up for a mugshot. I debated smiling and then regretted not wearing makeup. But I shirked it off and compromised with a half smile so my teeth didn't show. In all honesty, I was excited. This was something I've been wanting to do for more than a year. Posing for my ID card photo made my first day official: I am part of the 33rd class of the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office's Citizens Academy. I will spend the next 11 weeks learning more about what goes into being a Pinellas County Sheriff's deputy. While most of Clearwater is under patrol by Clearwater Police, unincorporated areas are overseen by the sheriff's department. The three-month program offers a …
Friday, August 3, 2012
Volunteer with the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary, Citizen's Academy application deadline, play the part of a 'picker' and more is going on in Clearwater Friday, Aug. 3.
1. Weather: Expect a glorious beach day. It should be mostly sunny with a high near 91 that feels more like 99, according to the National Weather Service. Don't worry we will keep you updated if Tropical Storm Ernesto gets close. 2. Volunteer: The Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary is seeking trained rescue volunteers to be able to bring in injured birds for rehabilitation. Call Lisa Adams, at (352) 575-4376. 3. Government: Today is the deadline to turn in an application to be a member of Citizen's Academy. The 11 weeks of classes give an inside look at city government and different departments that help make it run. Want to see if you are one of the 20 class members who make the cut? It's really easy, just apply online here. 4. Clearwater …
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