TROY, Ala. (TROJANVISION) — A group of Troy residents now have a better understanding of how the city’s emergency response, narcotics and weapons.
That understanding stems from the third session of the Troy Police Department‘s (TPD) Citizen’s Police Academy.
Margarita Mesones-Mori, one of the weekly attendees of the Citizen’s Police Academy, just moved to Troy.
“My husband was in the military, the army, for 20 years,” Mesones-Mori said. “He retired and 16 years after he retired, they called him back into active-duty service at Fort Rucker.
“He said yes and so we had to move someplace.”
Once they landed on Troy and settled into their new home, Mesones-Mori began looking for ways to learn about her new community. That’s when she found TPD’s Citizen’s Academy. As it turns out, the academy has also helped her find comfort in her new town.
“To me it helps a lot because I come from a big city where there’s a lot of lights and here it’s very dark so it’s very scary for me,” Mesones-Mori said.
ICYMI: TPD give up-close look at patrol tactics during Citizen’s Police Academy
TPD Captain Bryan Weed said that providing that comfort, like they did for Mesones-Mori, is one of his main goals for the series.
“I was born here in Troy, I have lived here my whole life, so I know what a wonderful place it is,” Weed said. “When someone else moves here and we can make them more comfortable and make them feel like this is their home, that’s exactly why we’re doing this citizens academy.”
Session three highlighted each individual branch of TPD’s Special Operations Division, which included the following.
- Emergency response
- Crisis negotiation
- Narcotics control
- K-9 units (used for detection of drugs, weapons, people, etc.)
Explaining and discussing each individual branch allowed participants to see that TPD is ready for any scenario.
“Hopefully they’re never a victim of crime but, you know, if they ever need us or if they know someone that is a victim of crime, then they can have some comfort that we will be a very professional agency and hopefully come to a quick resolution,” Weed said.
It’s that diversity of services that gives Mesones-Mori confidence that she will be fully and fairly kept safe under TPD.
“We come to conclusions too fast,” Mesones-Mori said. “Knowing that you need and open mind and that there might be an answer better than the one you think keeps you on check and it keeps other people safe.”
The next session of the Citizen’s Police Academy will feature TPD’s criminal investigations unit.
