
Re: MCSO Citizens' Academy
Quote:
85% of this job is communication. -- Deputy with the Domestic Violence Division
We had quite a variety of topics this week.
First we learned about
Field Operations, which includes the K-9 and motorcycle units that we saw last week. Field Operations has 90 deputies, 7 sergeants, 7 captains, and 1 major. Each deputy is assigned to one of 32 geographic service areas within Mecklenburg County.
Deputies who serve
Civil Processes, serve 54
Types of Civil Processes , including domestic violence orders, civil judgement (to collect money), and evictions. They're more successful for some types than others.
Deputies also serve Criminal Processes, including orders for arrest and serving warrants.
When they have time, deputies drive two cars equipped with
License Plate Recognition equipment around large parking lots and other areas in Mecklenburg County. The equipment captures license plate numbers and matches them to records for unpaid vehicle property taxes. Since last July, they have collected over $148,000 in delinquent taxes. Unfortunately, there are over $9,000,000 in outstanding unpaid vehicle taxes in the records.
The
Transport Division transports inmates and others from jail to jail, to hospitals, or other locations. They frequently serve involuntary commitment orders and transport people to mental health facilities. We saw a demonstration of how they use shackles to control unruly or potentially unruly folks, using one of the more rowdy members of the Citizens' Academy class as the guinea pig.
The 8 specialized deputies in the
Domestic Violence Division serve Domestic Violence Protective Orders, which basically are restraining orders issued by a judge and typically require the deputies to remove the defendant from their residence or whatever the judge includes in the orders. Defendants typically can take the clothes, toiletries, and their tools of their trade that they will need before they get their opportunity to go before the judge to tell their side of the story. Deputies may have to confiscate keys, firearms, or other items specified in the orders. They serve about 10 to 20 restraining orders daily.
We also learned about the Sheriff's Office
Explorer Post. This is a division of the Boy Scouts of America, but includes girls as well as boys, and gives young adults age 14 to 20 an opportunity to learn about law enforcement as a potential career. Explorers participate in various community service projects.
Then we got to go outside and drive a golf cart around a curvy course outlined in traffic cones. We did it normal the first time, but the second time we wore goggles that simulated the vision distortion a person would have if under the influence of alcohol. The goggles are made by a company called
Fatal Vision. Different goggles simulate various levels of intoxication. The ones I wore simulated a blood alcohol content of .12 to .15, which is almost twice the legal limit in North Carolina. (The traffic cones are very durable, as they were able to withstand quite a bit of abuse from members of our class.)

Apparently I drive quite well as a simulated drunk, but I've never driven drunk for real and certainly never plan to.
The final presentation was on the
Advanced Local Emergency response Team (ALERT), which is a multi-agency team designed to deal with major natural and man made disasters as well as acts of terrorism. Participants include Medic, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police, Charlotte Fire Department, and Carolinas Health Care.
Each agency has primary functions. Those for the Sheriff's Office are perimeter security, evidence security and collection, and Disaster Mortuary Operations (DMORT), which involves removing dead bodies.
The 25 Sheriff's Office members of the unit receive lots and lots of training, much of it at federal facilities where federal agents and personnel from state and local law enforcement agencies from across the country receive the best training possible.
We heard about how easy it is to manufacture explosives and how destructive they can be. Instructions, many of them from al Qaeda or other terrorist groups, are easily available on the Internet.
The unit has various levels of hazardous materials (HAZ-MAT) protective wear. The image below shows Level C. In actual use, the deputy would have special booties over his shoes, and all seams would be secured with duct tape. Level B includes an oxygen tank, and Level A, which provides the highest level of protection and has breathing apparatus and a radio inside the suit.

Finally, we saw the 54-foot command trailer, which has space for executive command staff and work space for various other staff. It also serves as a mobile arrest processing center and includes a lock up room.
Only one more session to go next week, and then graduation.