Fire away

Cindy Murray

Editor’s note: Cindy Murray is a Fountain Valley resident. In this piece,

she documents her experience in the city’s Community Police Academy.

The last class of the Fountain Valley Community Police Academy was a

chance for me to learn about weapons.

We met at the police gun range at 9 a.m. on Saturday. The class was given

a half hour lecture on gun safety and how to load and handle the weapon.

We then stepped up to the firing line, wearing safety goggles and ear

protection, and loaded our weapons.

I had shot a handgun once about 30 years ago, so I was a real novice.

I managed to load the magazine and lock it into the 45 Sig Sauer pistol,

which is standard issue for the police department.

I took my stance and managed to make holes in all the wood surrounding

the target.

Just call me “deadwood.”

I must admit I did not feel comfortable firing the weapon. It was loud,

even with ear protection on, plus it had a kick.

I figured I’d be more dangerous if I threw the weapon, rather than trying

to fire it and hit something.

The next weapon we fired was an MP5 automatic rifle that the SWAT team

uses.

Now, that one I could shoot! It had a laser sight on it, which made it

much easier. It had very little kick and didn’t make as much noise as the

handgun. Now if they could figure how to strap one of those to your leg I

could do the job.

One of the sergeants asked if I’d feel more comfortable shooting a

smaller handgun.

I went back to the line and tried a Glock 9 millimeter. I did hit the

target this time, but I still don’t really feel comfortable with guns.

The last class ended with an explanation of the K-9 units.

The dogs were brought out to demonstrate their usefulness in police work.

After seeing how the dogs work I can see why a criminal would give up

rather than having the dogs sent after him.

As our last class ends I think back on all the things we’ve done in the

academy the last 12 weeks.

This has been a wonderful experience for me! We’ve had lots of classroom

time including talking with crime scene investigators, a sitting judge

and the chief of police, to mention a few.

We were encouraged to ask any and all questions that came to mind, and at

every juncture all questions were answered to the satisfaction of the

questioner.

We had the chance to ride along with a police officer for a shift to get

an idea of what police face daily in their jobs.

The class has been a challenge in many ways, not only to try these new

skills, but to look inside ourselves.

What a bonus. Not only do I have a whole slew of new experiences but I

have also learned some things about myself.

I had no idea when I walked into that academy room 12 weeks ago that I

would share a sense of camaraderie with this diverse group of 19 others

by the end of our class.

I have the utmost respect for the pride and professionalism of our

Fountain Valley Police Department.

Thank you, Chief Elvin Miali, for having this program for the community.

I would also like to thank all the officers who shared their expertise

and experiences with us. I hope I never have to call you.

But if I do, I know you will be there to help.