Dalton Police Blog

Graduation Day

The Dalton Police Department's 17th Citizens' Police Academy class wrapped up on Tuesday night with a graduation banquet at Ryman Hall catered by the Filling Station Restaurant.  Members of the class received their diplomas on stage from Chief Jason Parker, who also addressed the class and thanked them for their commitment to the ten week course.

Dalton Public Safety Commission members Dr. Bill Weaver and Carlos Calderin attended the event, along with Dalton City Councilman George Sadosuk. 

To watch video from Tuesday night's graduation ceremony, click "Play" in the window below (video may take a few moments to load, click the "HQ" icon to watch in higher quality).

17th Citizens' Police Academy Wraps Up Classes

The 17th Citizens' Police Academy wrapped up a 10-week schedule of classes on Tuesday night with a look at the Dalton Police Department's School Resource Officer program, the Whitfield County Emergency Services division, and a lecture on criminal procedures.  The class will attend a graduation banquet next week.

Tuesday's class opened up with the department's two School Resource Officers (SRO) discussing their duties with the Dalton City Schools.  Officers Terry Smith and Brandon Carter do much more than just watch the halls during classes.  They have a wide variety of duties that range from working with troubled kids to protecting the school from unauthorized visitors.  They also do some teaching, covering topics like safety and law classes.

Below: Officers Terry Smith (left) and Brandon Carter (right) address the Citizens' Police Academy class (click for a larger version of the image).

 

The class continued with a discussion of Whitfield County's 911 system.  Representatives from Whitfield County Emergency Services discussed the system with the class, including its history and the different uses of E-911 and the Reverse 911 systems.  They also discussed the operation of the 911 center itself, where operators go through a six-month training course before they become full-fledged telecommunicators.  Operators work on 12-hour shifts from 6 AM to 6 PM, rotating between the night shift and the day shift.

Below: Whitfield County Emergency Services spokesperson Ashlee Swilling discusses the 911 system (click for a larger version of the image).

 

The night wrapped up with a discussion of criminal procedure from Detective John Helton.  Helton discussed different ways the Constitution, state and local laws, and case law govern the ways that police officers can conduct searches, seizures, and also discussed what makes up probable cause for officers to carry out arrests.

Citizens' Police Academy Meets FATS

The next-to-last classroom meeting of the Citizens' Police Academy let participants check out the Dalton Police Department's Firearms Training Simulator (FATS).  The FATS machine projects a first-person view of a law enforcement scenario onto a screen in front of the user, who is armed with a simulated firearm.  While the user interacts with the simulation, an instructor controls how events unfold from a computer.  If the user needs to fire, the machine detects where their simulated shots "hit".

Next week, the classroom portion of the Citizens' Academy wraps up with a look at the department's School Resource Officer (SRO) program, as well as a look at criminal procedure.  Then, the next week, the class will have a graduation banquet.

Click "Play" in the window below to watch a video from Tuesday night's FATS training (video may take a few moments to load.  Click the "HQ" icon to watch in higher quality).

CSI: Dalton

The Citizens' Police Academy met for the 8th of its 10 classes on Tuesday night, focusing on a true-life CSI: the Dalton Police Department's Crime Scene Investigator.  Detective Mack Flood talked to the class about the tricks of his trade, the way he processes crime scenes, and also some of the tools uses at a crime scene.  He also spent some time discussing the differences between TV shows like "CSI" and the way crimes are investigated in real life (hint: it's more like 8 weeks to get DNA results, not 8 minutes). 

To watch video from Tuesday night's class, click "play" in the window below (video may take a moment to load, click the "HQ" icon to watch in higher quality).

Citizens' Police Academy: Locked and Loaded

Tuesday night, participants in the Citizens' Police Academy got an up close look at the weapons carried by the Dalton Police Department.  But they did more than just look and listen... they also got a chance to take a little target practice.

Officer Chris McDonald and Sergeant Mike Wilson joined Sergeant Mike Dyer with the CPA class on Tuesday at the Whitfield County Firing Range, and they showed participants the different guns used by Dalton's officers.  They also taught the class about gun safety, and the way the different guns work. 

To watch a video from Tuesday night's class at the firing range, click "play" in the window below (video may take a moment to load.  To watch in higher quality, click the "HQ" icon). 

The Citizens' Police Academy Goes to Jail

Week 6 of the Citizens' Police Academy ended with the participants not passing "go", not collecting $200, and going directly to jail.

The participants got a look at what happens to a criminal case after it leaves the hands of police investigators with a presentation from Conasauga District Attorney Kermit McManus, who dicussed the role of prosecutors and what happens to a case after it reaches the District Attorney's Office. 

The night wrapped up with a tour of the Whitfield County Jail, so participants could see how criminal offenders live after their arrests or convictions. 

For video from Week 6 of the Citizens' Police Academy, click "play" in the window below (video may take a few moments to load, to watch in higher quality, click the "HQ" icon)

Tasers and Golf Carts at the Citizens' Police Academy

The Citizens' Police Academy (CPA) met for the fifth time last night at the Dalton Police Department, focusing on the Support Services Division, the Traffic Unit, and the department's use of Tasers. 

To watch video from the class, click play in the window below. (Video may take a few moments to load, to watch in higher quality, click the "HQ" icon)

Citizens' Police Academy Meets the Drug Unit

Tuesday night marked Week 4 of the Citizens' Police Academy, with many of the participants sporting their St. Patrick's Day green.  Members of the Dalton Police Department's CID Drug Unit kicked off the class with an hour-long discussion of their duties, investigative techniques, as well as a briefing about the different drugs they encounter most frequently during their investigations.

The evening continued with a seminar from Officer Brian Shirley on different steps citizens can take to lessen their chance of becoming victims of crime, with tips on securing their homes, cars, etc.

The class concluded with a look at the department's chaplain program, with Dalton Police chaplains discussing the services they provide for department personnel.

Below: Chief Jason Parker and Sergeant Mike Dyer address the Citizens' Police Academy class before the Drug Unit took the stage.

 

Citizens' Police Academy Learns From Detectives

The 17th Citizens' Police Academy met for the third time on Tuesday night, focusing on the Dalton Police Department's Criminal Investigations Division (CID).  CID supervisor Sergeant Truman Whitfield gave the class an overview of the division, including the responsibilities of personnel.

Two CID detectives assigned to the FBI's Safe Streets Task Force also met with the class, spending nearly two hours discussing criminal street gangs and the department's efforts to combat them.

Below: Sergeant Michael Dyer (left) and Sergeant Truman Whitfield (right) address the Citizens' Police Academy.

  

Polygraphs, Recruiting, and SRU at the Citizens' Police Academy

It's no lie. The 17th Citizens' Police Academy met for the second time at the Dalton Police Department on Tuesday night, and among the things they learned is the fact that it's not a good idea to try to fool a polygraph machine.

Officer Ken Brooks, who is one of the department's polygraph examiners and the recruiting officer, addressed the participants.  While discussing the technical aspects of the polygraph equipment, he also sprinkled in several "war stories" about his time operating it.  He included a story about an investigation where a man was suspected of carrying out a robbery.  This man failed a polygraph test, but was later exonerated when someone else confessed to the crime.  Afterwards, the examiner went back to the original suspect to ask why he'd failed the test so badly.  Apparently, one of the questions in the polygraph exam was, "did you discuss with anyone else plans to rob the victim?"  Well, as it turns out, the original suspect had, in fact, planned to commit a robbery.  Someone else just beat him to the punch!  So, while the polygraph isn't 100% reliable and not admissable in a court of law, Officer Brooks provided several other examples of the device's usefulness as a guide to investigators.

Participants also got a crash course on the role of the department's patrol division, and also the Situational Response Unit (SRU).  The SRU is currently a two-officer unit that performs specialized patrol and investigation in different areas of the city.  Among their responsibilities is investigating street-level drug sales and use.

Next week's Citizens' Police Academy class will focus on the department's Criminal Investigation Division (CID), with detectives teaching the group about their duties.  The class will also focus specifically on the CID's gang investigators.

Below (from top left): Chief Jason Parker addresses the Academy, Officer Ken Brooks discusses the polygraph, and SRU officers discuss drug arrests.