It’s extremely difficult these days to pick up a newspaper, watch a television news broadcast or, for that matter, have a friendly discussion without being exposed to some incident involving the police. The featured stories cover a wide range of police activities. In some articles the officers are portrayed in a favorable light–helping to protect us from crime and violence. In other pieces they’re described in a negative manner–perhaps displaying some insensitivity.
It’s not my intent to either defend or condone these commentaries. I’ll leave that to professional journalists–all of whom are closer to the actual situations than I am. Rather I’d like to tell you about my experiences with the Danville Police Department. I’ll hide behind a mythical character named Darren who pursues an “after retirement investigation” into volunteering as a VIPS (Volunteers in Police Service.) Admittedly most of these stories are mine, but using Darren’s name protects my occasionally faulty memories and forgives any enthusiastic exaggerations.
“Darren”and his family moved to Danville almost five decades ago. They chose Danville because it was a nice, quiet, clean, and comfortable place. The schools were good – in fact they were excellent. The shops and restaurants were numerous. Not a lot of glitz and the thought of crime of any type was far away. Life was good, and they prospered.
The kids grew up, went to school, and moved away. Work slowed a bit, and retirement arrived. Ah, but now a new problem presented itself: How to fill in all those empty hours, and more important, how to repay the community for all that it had given to him and his family?
And then a neighbor introduced an exciting possibility. There was a small group of residents who worked with the Danville Police Department known as VIPS (Volunteers In Police Service.) This group was formed to give a community assist to the department. Here was a way to pay back the town he respected, and it even had a little bit of excitement connected to it. But how did all of this work?
The first thing he discovered was that the Danville Police Department, as well as the Alamo and Blackhawk neighborhoods are actually part of the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office. These local entities contract with the County to furnish police protection to their respective areas. The advantages of these contractual arrangements are numerous. The County is able to furnish well-trained, seasoned officers who rotate through the region. In addition, they provide the backup and support of a larger entity with resources not financially feasible for the locales. These resources include a professional crime lab, SWAT teams, three detention facilities, and a major communication network which covers a wide area. Our small towns have access to a major police department.
The next thing Darren found was that he needed a lot of education before he could even be considered as a VIPS. Potentially harmful situations might be encountered, or conditions could prove legally detrimental to the Town. This education was to be obtained by attending a series of classes conducted by the Danville Police Department and known as the Danville Police Citizens’ Academy. Darren was up for this and immediately enrolled in the next academy. Thankfully the wait wasn’t long as two such classes were held each year.
The classes weren’t simple. They extended over a multi-week period and were comprised of six three-hour evening sessions and two eight-hour Saturday events, but they were both interesting and proved to be exciting.
The two Saturdays included tours and activities that were a part of the regular officer training program. They visited the Martinez Detention Facility – thankfully as visitors not criminals. The class was allowed to drive regular patrol cars around the county test track – very exciting. Think about getting into a black and white and racing around the course! They toured the shooting range, and the class was permitted to fire weapons similar to those used by the officers. In the training facility in Concord, attendees were presented with potential real-life situations. The students were placed about twelve feet from a very large wall screen upon which potentially- threatening situations were displayed in video form. Class members demonstrated their ability to respond to these circumstances with the best possible snap decision. They learn a lot about themselves when placed in hazardous situations. The county-wide dispatch facility was also on the list. This is where 911 calls are taken and relayed to the officers in the field.
The evening classes were equally informative. Deputy District Attorneys from the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office spoke on the need for factual reports being received from the officers. These reports could then be used to win convictions. The time between arrests and trials is often long, and these reports help refresh officers’ memories. Regular beat officers spoke about how DUIs were handled.
Detectives shared investigative information into non-violent crimes which had occurred, such as identity theft. Police sergeants and officers spoke about the procedures that were used in high-speed chases and how the different police jurisdictions cooperated when needed. Actual videos were shown of routine traffic stops and how they could suddenly turn into gravely dangerous conditions for the officers. One develops a great deal of empathy for the officers when one realizes the difficulties that can occur.
Darren was made aware of how carelessly allowing newspapers to accumulate in front of a house can advertise that a family is gone for a week’s vacation, inviting burglary.
After completing the Academy he came to the conclusion that police officers are people – no different than our fellow workers or our friends. Oh, granted some are friendly and easy to get along with while others are more aloof, a bit standoffish. But what’s different about that? They have families, spouses, and children. They get tired, they laugh, and sometimes get a bit grouchy like we all do. One of the tasks that differentiates officers from the rest of us is that each day they are forced to make life-changing decisions.
The results of these decisions influence everyone involved. They can be praised for the successful choices and be admonished for any poor ones. Like most situations in life, the poor choices are splashed across the media, while the successful choices are often lost to the public.
Prior to this Academy most people’s only contact with the police was being stopped for some traffic violation or perhaps being questioned about a theft or some other crime they had witnessed. All in all, the academy was an eye opener, and an excited Darren applied for acceptance into the VIPS program. Little did he realize that the simple portion of the program was past, and there was still more complexity to come.
The time between offering his service and acceptance into the program seemed endless. One interview followed another, and a detailed background check seemed to go nowhere. But like all things in life, there is an end. Darren was given his uniform, a badge, and his smile got bigger and bigger. He was now a novice VIPS.
Part Two Next Month – Darren shares his continuing education and tells about some of his experiences. .
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