Natalie Whatley

As a graduate of the Baytown Citizen Police Academy, I promised to let you all know when the next class was forming.  In case you forgot, I had loads of fun, learned a lot about the inner workings of the Baytown Police Department, and lived to tell about some rather riveting moments during some hands-on class participation. Now it’s your turn.

Classes start Thursday, February 18 at 6:30 p.m. and will run for ten weeks. The police-work-related program, guided by Academy Coordinator, Officer Beasley, is designed to give citizens a better understanding of the operations and mission of the Baytown Police Department.

Coursework will begin with an introduction to the academy and an overview of police terminology. The remaining weeks will bring officers sharing specialized areas of expertise and equipment. Topics to be covered: crime prevention, K-9 units, terrorism, crime scene investigation, use of force, gangs/organized crime, hostage negotiations, building search, traffic stops, and a tour of the city jail.

I’d be hard-pressed to pick a favorite because they were all interesting. Everyone enjoys the K-9 units for obvious reasons, but you’ll be amazed watching the dogs perform what they’re trained to do while learning how they acquire and maintain those skills. Terrorism: It’s perpetrated on many different fronts and for a variety of reasons; law enforcement must remain vigilant and keep track of many tentacles.  Building search tested my mental fortitude – basically I have none when it comes to looking for bad guys in dark places. Crime scene investigation had a few grisly moments, but nothing any modern member of TV-viewing society couldn’t handle. And the tour of the jail: I suppose it’s a nice facility as far as jails go, but I’ll do what’s necessary to remain on the outside.

After the fifth week of instruction, students are eligible for an eye-opening ride along in a patrol car. If you’ve ever called and requested an officer for a non-life-threatening reason and wondered what took them so long . . . this is for you. The “action” is non-stop.  This portion of the program is voluntary and not a requirement for graduation.

Upon completion of the academy, there will be a graduation ceremony and banquet. Students are also invited to join the Baytown Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association, which brings together graduates to enhance relations between the community and the police force and to improve the efficiency of law enforcement in neighborhoods through shared responsibilities and resources.

With additional training, graduates also have the opportunity to become involved in Citizens on Patrol. This new program focuses on handicap parking enforcement and assisting patrol officers by being extra eyes and ears watching for suspicious activity.

© 2010 Natalie Whatley

With a great deal of pomp and circumstance (not really, but certificates in hand our pictures were taken with the Chief of Police Dougherty, and instructor, Crime Prevention Specialist Beasley) commencement exercises were held for the Baytown Police Department’s Citizen Police Academy on September 15. I covered some of the more exciting highlights in previous columns. As promised, I’ll deliver an overview of the whole ten-week experience.

Since I worked in civil law prior to my full-time mommy days, police work and the different issues it entails interested me. I was thrilled a class was offered during the summer when my evening schedule wasn’t consumed by extra-curricular activities, homework checking, and taxi driving.

Our class of 15 saw various facets of police work and how the gears turn behind the scenes. Fascinating. Each week brought a different topic, and the best the department had to offer in personnel came to share their area of expertise. Demonstrations of techniques and equipment were very informative and colorful personalities made the evenings quite entertaining.  

The curriculum changes somewhat from class-to-class given instructor availability and class interest, but a broad spectrum of subject matter is guaranteed for each group. After five weeks of instruction, students may ride along with an officer in a patrol car. I haven’t done that, yet, but you’ll hear all about it if I do. Graduates are also eligible to enroll in the advanced class, which takes a deeper look into the basic course of study and adds narcotics investigation and bomb squad. I can’t wait.

Classes began with an informational introduction to police terminology and the history of the Baytown Police Department.  

The following week: terrorism. Post 9/11 most of us think of this topic in a singular fashion. However, there are other tentacles. Law enforcement must be vigilant on many fronts – watching for some predictable behaviors and patterns, often aided by citizens acting as the eyes and ears.   

Then there was FATS – Firearms Training Simulator – and in case you missed my riveting tale on this one: Our class was put through computer-generated scenarios where split-second decisions were required to protect life. It’s not as easy as it looks on TV.

During the use of force class, we were instructed on the tools available to law enforcement and how officers must assess the situation and act accordingly. The high point of that evening was the Taser demonstration.  Baytown Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association President, Mike Kercher, “rode the lightning” for our viewing pleasure. Since I know Mike personally, it was difficult to watch. We also learned that any officer who carries a Taser must be tased with it.

At the half-way point, the K-9 units came to visit – beautiful, well-mannered animals. Officers explained continuous training, demonstrated how the dogs locate narcotics, and how they’re used for suspects who choose to run or otherwise be uncooperative with human officers.    

During crime scene investigation I dusted for my own fingerprints and found them! That skill may come in handy with three kids who routinely say, “It wasn’t me!”  This class got a little gruesome, but any regular CSI viewer could handle it.

I wrote about clearing a building, and you learned I was useless. There’s a lot of strategic planning that goes into that; it was more than my brain could handle and being hopped up on adrenaline didn’t help. I froze when confronted by the threat – had it been the real deal, I’d not be here today.

Towards the end, we toured the jail. I’ve always wondered what it was like in there, but never wanted to find out the hard way. I’ll do my best to uphold the law and avoid going for another visit. Not pleasant.

Many thanks to Officers Beasley, Coleman, Denton, Stevens, and Cruz; Detectives Farabee, Latta and Crowell; Sergeant Hendricks; and Lieutenant Freed – you made learning fun. 

And a very special thank-you goes to Ms. Lavon Heintschel of the alumni association. She arrived every week, very stylishly dressed, with the intention of expanding our waistlines – touched a few hearts, too.  A big thank-you as well to her baking helpers – everything was always delicious.

It was an experience I’ll never forget. I’ll let you know when the next one rolls around. You don’t want to miss it!

© 2009 Natalie Whatley

Last Tuesday night I was (very briefly) trained on the finer points of clearing a room. It’s an ability that conjures up some negative connotations – think obnoxious people who enjoy dominating group discussion, or hygiene issues that make life unpleasant for others. That’s not at all to what I refer. By the end of the evening I determined I needed lots of practice and that I freeze at critical moments.  

Recall that I’ve been in the Baytown Police Department’s 10-week Citizen Police Academy.  I only have two more classes to complete before I graduate.  I pay attention as best I can, it’s interesting stuff, but you all know my mind wanders. So, I probably missed some of what it takes to “clear a room” – removing the bad guys and living to tell about it. 

Under Feng Shui (that’s pronounced fung shway) decorating principles, clearing a room is an early part of creating an environment that provides harmony and inner balance. Clutter and anything that inhibits harmony, balance, and flow of life are removed. I bet I’m the first to liken police work to decorating, and the guys will no doubt be happy that’s how I saw it. And they made it look much better than I ever could.

One step to creating Feng Shui is to meditate on a room’s energy, take deep breaths, close the eyes, and concentrate on your intentions to clear the room. I did just that as I put on a helmet and throat protection and listened to my “assignment”.  Then I was patted down (having never been arrested, that was a different experience) for additional weapons before being armed with approved gear: a flashlight and a “simunition gun”, which is a real gun with a modified barrel to shoot rounds capped with colored detergent instead of actual bullets.

My call: The owner of a vacant farmhouse reported hooligans on his property. They had been seen outside and possibly entered the dwelling. It was nighttime, and there were no lights. Since they were not outside, my partner (Jeff) and I had to search and clear three rooms.

Sounded easy enough, but when you’re in an unfamiliar, pitch-black place with real police officers –armed with toy weapons – hiding and waiting to catch you off guard, it’s enough to cause heavy mouth-breathing that fogs up the helmet.

Entry was made, and I was trying to “slice the pie” (don’t really know how to explain that other than to say stand and rotate in a fashion like slicing a pie, only it’s a room)  when I was immediately confronted by a roaring brick wall. (Officer Beasley. He spends a little time pumping iron when he’s not educating the public on crime prevention.)

Contrary to a figuratively colorful hour-long Power Point training session and demonstrations with Officers Latta and Coleman, I froze.  Bad-guy Beasley came at us, yelling. He could have killed me, and I could have shot him, but I just stood there. My partner, sensing I was useless, took over. Bad guy complied with verbal commands and I got to ‘cuff him.  Whew!  Only two more rooms to go.

Second room was cleared easily enough; it was empty. Third room had another suspect. Because I had great skill in shining the flashlight, I let Jeff do all the yelling. Second suspect was taken into custody and we were finished.  It was a good thing because I wasn’t enjoying the sauna in that helmet. I came out unscathed save for some chipped toenail polish – my fault for “going in” wearing flip-flops.

In the end, the entire class had a new appreciation for how difficult it can be walking into the unknown – acting and reacting accordingly. In a way, I’m glad I can’t clear a room. There was nothing harmonious or inner-balancing about it. Tough stuff.  My helmet’s off to those who do it well.

BAYTOWN — North Main, Tuesday, 9:12 p.m. Two men and a female argue at the rear of a faded red truck. As I approach, the verbal exchange escalates and turns physical. One man is getting the better of the other with the hysterical female fueling the fire. Pulling a Glock 9mm to the front of my body, I move closer and shout, “Stop! Back away from each other!” over the screaming female.

Turning his eyes to me while shoving the object of his anger down and away, the aggressor sneers, and through gritting teeth addresses my intrusion. “Who called you here? This doesn’t concern you!”

The receiver of the brief, but violent beating slumps over at the waist, fighting to catch his breath. The woman, running in small rambling circles between the men, raves, attends to the injured party, and begs for it all to stop.

Before taking swift, boot-clad steps in my direction, the aggressor grabs a tire-iron from the back of the truck and centers it in the narrowing gap between us. “Put the weapon down and BACK UP!” I command. Snarling he raises the iron well above my head and lunges forward. Synapses firing rapidly reach my index finger. BANG! One shot to the center of the chest and he retreats . . . forever.

A little training and time spent at the shooting range saved my life. The whole thing was over in less than five seconds.  

Did the above really happen? Yes and no. You’ll never believe what I’ve been up to in my spare time. (Granny Adcox is probably worried sick. The big ants I mentioned last week caused her to be concerned for my well-being. She wrote and called. I make her concern public because another columnist, I’ll call him “Gaston”, and I have a little non-sibling rivalry going over Granny’s affections. He wants her all to himself –said he’d fight me for her.)

It all happened for real—inside a training room at the Baytown Police Department’s Police Academy building. It was brought to me as part of my participation in the Citizen Police Academy Class. I’m less than a third of the way through the basic curriculum, and there’s also an advanced class. I’ll fill you in on the complete experience after I graduate.

Our group was fortunate enough to be in session when the FATS – Firearm Training Simulator – was in town for BPD’s annual training session. The simulator, a computer with interactive gadgets, places students in realistic confrontations where split-second decisions must be made.

I was the last of my class to take a turn. I’ve never needed any help looking foolish, and being “tested” with about twenty people looking on – some highly trained and seasoned officers – was a little unnerving, but I did it. And I killed the bad guy with one well-placed shot.

While I had a little fun with my make-believe scenario, what I gathered from the evening was that lethal force is no joking matter. No normal human being wants to be put in a position to use it. I got a feel for how quickly things turn bad and how the human mind struggles to function clearly during what’s called an “adrenaline dump”.

It takes training and practice to overcome and effectively use the “fight or flight” mechanism. Often, muscle memory gained through repetitive training must step in while the brain catches up. It was comforting to hear from Instructor Extraordinaire, Crime Prevention Specialist Stewart Beasley, that most officers (and I assume even more civilians) go their entire lives without being in the situations put forth by the simulator.

Thanks, guys, for teaching me some things I hope my muscles never have to remember.

And since I’m such a good shot, “Gaston” probably doesn’t want to tangle with me. No matter. I aim to believe Granny Adcox has room enough in her big heart for the both of us. Another bull’s-eye! 

© 2009 Natalie Whatley