Shout Out to the Office of the Shelby County Sheriff

If you live in Shelby County, Alabama and have the time... and they have the space.. I want to give a recommendation to participate in the Shelby County Sheriff's Citizens Academy.

This 12 week program does an excellent job in presenting what our law enforcement officers do to protect and serve the citizens.

It is one more reason why I believe we live in a very special place- one that I am thankful for!

Each week of the program included education of different aspects of what the deputies do, and until you see it, you will never believe it.

First of all, the class is not easy to get into. The demand is high, so I would apply early if you are wanting to do it.

Information on the course may be found at this link: Shelby County Sheriff's Citizen's Academy

I personally enjoyed every week- but wanted to mention a few of the highlights:

Force Continuum

With so many stories in the news lately regarding law enforcement and the use of force, I found the class on the training regarding the force continuum to be extremely important. The media does not help in this area, because viewers are often making judgements on situations without any true knowledge of cases or the training that goes into these professionals.

Most decisions regarding the use of force are instant- meaning that training will usually trump any ability to evaluate a situation. This blog does not have enough time to thoroughly cover all of the dynamics involved, but it makes no sense to rally to those who resist as the first response in situations where officers must use force to subdue a person who will not submit to the authority of the law.

Shelby County Jail

The tour of the jail was extremely informative and eye-opening. As much as I admire any person on patrol, my respect for those involved in corrections multiplied exponentially. We were given great information on the layout and organization of the jail and seeing it in person is an unforgettable experience.

Criminal Investigations

We ended up learning about criminal investigations for 3 weeks. These were actual cases, actual photos of evidence, and the process of investigating and ejudicating real cases was impressive. I looked forward to each week and learned a lot of lessons about the tedious process of analyzing evidence.

Ride Along

Part of the class is an actual ride along with a deputy. 99% of these are usually event free- I was the (un)fortunate exception. My evening was quite the experience- high speed pursuit, arrest, and trip to the jail were just a part of my 'cops' in real life experience.

Weapons and Range

The highlight of the class was a day being trained by the amazing staff at the Shelby County Firearms Range. I received excellent training in gun safety and had the privilege to practice shooting a semi-automatic pistol at the range with very helpful instruction.

There were other great classes- Drug Task Force, District Attorney's office, Special Units and Tactical Unit.

This class was enjoyed by everyone!



Again- it was a great 12 weeks- and I plan on participating in the alumni association for years to come!