New appreciation for local police

I had the opportunity last weekend to participate in the Cape Girardeau Police Department's Citizen Police Experience. To say it was an interesting experience is an understatement, as it was exciting, stressful, enlightening, and even traumatic at times.

Participants were paired up and put into eight different scenarios that have actually happened within the past year here in Cape. We were given bulletproof vests and paint guns, and after some quick lessons, we encountered situations (reenacted by police officers and staff) such as domestic disturbances, traffic stops, dangerous fugitives, and homicide scenes. Each situation went horribly awry, and the challenge was to make lawful decisions that impacted personal and public safety in mere seconds. It was quickly obvious that there was no way for any of the participants to handle these situations well with no training, but that wasn't the point. The objectives were to help the public understand how mentally and physically demanding the job of police officer is, that there are reasons for everything the police officer does in every situation, and that the job requires 100 percent perfection to prevent bad situations from becoming tragic ones.

I'd encourage everyone to consider participating in next year's event, but be prepared to have your mindset altered -- I know mine was. I also made a point to have a good conversation afterward with my sons, whose perceptions of police work have been largely shaped by those lovable criminals in Fast and Furious.

STACY KINDER, Cape Girardeau City Council, Ward 6, Cape Girardeau