Citizen Academy Reveals Police's Real Side

In print and on screen, the evidence points to one conclusion: the public is fascinated by police work. After years of "Law and Order" and "CSI" (the franchise is in three cities), we might wonder what police work is really like.

The Belmont Police Department offers this opportunity with its Citizen Police Academy. The most recent nine-week class, led by Lt. Richard Santangelo, met Tuesday nights for three hours in the Town Hall, and concluded on June 29.

This course offers citizens a way to experience police training, to see how the department serves the community, and to learn about the men and women who wear the badge. The classes, taught by department personnel, include criminal law, investigations, use of force, computer crime, as well as juvenile and domestic issues.

The class also visited the Belmont 911 Center, open 24 hours, every day. Operators explained how they respond to calls, mostly emergencies for the police or an ambulance. The operators have also advised a new father on how to assist his wife giving birth (the baby and mother are fine). A less appropriate call occurred one Thanksgiving morning: the person asked how to cook a turkey. On a non-emergency line, the cook got advice.

Police officers are well aware of the rights of all citizens. This consideration goes beyond the well known Miranda rule. Interrogations, as well as their taping, require the signed consent of the person questioned (at any point, the person can stop the interview or have an attorney present).

Ride-alongs with patrol officers are an important part of the class curriculum. Students observed officers in their cruisers responding to calls from dispatchers or witnessing traffic violations. These patrols keep the streets safer for drivers and pedestrians. The police presence also assures law-abiding citizens and discourages criminals. 

The most dramatic part of TV crime shows, the use of force, is thankfully rare. Because good police officers are students of human nature as well as the law, they rely on talk and reason rather than force. The handcuffs are often employed to protect the person wearing them as much as the public or police.

For many, the high point in the class was firing the police sidearm of Belmont officers, the Glock .40 caliber semi-automatic. At the target range in the basement of the police station, the students fired several 10-round clips at paper targets at five yards. Officers have to qualify at different distances and conditions twice a year.

Finally, students got to examine an officer's "wide belt" - with pistol, clips, phones, cuffs, first aid kit, baton, pepper spray, along with the bullet-proof vest all officers on duty must wear – which weighs more than ten pounds, an apt metaphor for the weight of responsibility each officer carries in serving the public.

The next class is planned for 2011.  For more information, contact Lt. Santangelo at 617-993-2552 or rsantang@belmontpd.org.