Public Safety officers endure intense training

GCSU Public Safety might not fit the profile of a typical police department, but the officers who work there know that it takes an intensive amount of training and dedication to serve the GCSU community.
Tami Pissott has been working for GCSU Public Safety for less than a year now and has been out of the training academy since March of this year.
“All officers must be sent to mandate prior to becoming an officer.  Potential officers are generally sent by their new department for training at the closest training facility,” Pissott said. “Almost every officer/deputy in Baldwin County was trained at the Middle Georgia Police Academy in Macon. In my class alone, there were 34 people, which included people from approximately 10 different law enforcement agencies.”
According to the Middle Georgia Police Academy Web site, the department is charged with the development, delivery and facilitation of training that results in professional and competent public safety services for the people of Georgia. 
Officer Pissott looked at the academy as an introduction to what she would experience. 
“I feel that the training I received in the academy was more of an introduction into what you experience on the road. Every single situation we deal with in this line of work is unique; there is nothing that can truly prepare you for every call you go on,” Pissott said.  “The academy basically educates you more on the laws of the state and prepares you for report writing and things of that nature, rather than what to do in certain situations, because like I said, every incident is different in law enforcement.”
Cindy Potts, administrative assistant at Public Safety, says not only do GCSU Public Safety officers have to go through mandate school, but officers must also attend specialized training every six months.
“Officers attend the Middle Georgia Police Academy for 10 and a half weeks but that’s not all the training that they receive,” Potts said.  “GCSU Public Safety officers are required to have at least 20 hours of specialized training, but most go beyond that and receive anywhere from 40 to 80 hours of specialized training every six months.  The specialized training that they receive allows them to keep their arrest powers.”
GCSU Public Safety does not require one area of training – officers do not have to get a physical each year.
Officer Pissott hopes this changes one day.
“I believe that officers at every law enforcement agency should be given a physical abilities test either semi-annually or annually.  The job requires a lot of sitting and driving around in our patrol cars and crazy work hours, which affects the way and the things we eat, and officers as a whole aren’t able to get the proper exercise and nutrition that they need,” Pissott said. “I would imagine that a lot of officers that get hurt on the job are related to the physical shape they are in.  We have to chase people and put ourselves in dangerous situations where we need to both think and act quickly. Therefore, I think officers should definitely be given a physical test to ensure that they are going to be able to, at the very least, protect themselves.”
Over the years though, GCSU Public Safety has continued to hire more officers and improve the department overall.
“Nine years ago we only had four officers working for us,” Potts said.  “Now, we have 15 officers and 11 of them are on the road.  I think, as a whole, Public Safety has come a long ways over the years.”
Officer Pissott, enjoys working for GCSU Public Safety because it is unlike any other department.
“I love working for this police department. It’s very unique from any other police department in that we deal with such a variety of people and not just one type,” Pissott said.  “Although we deal mostly with college students, our jurisdiction also consists of regular citizens in the city.”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Nov 17 2006. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry