This guy came to our regular Monday morning staff meeting yesterday……and we shot him 35 times. But don’t worry. He’s just a prop used at the South Metro Public Safety Training Center (SMPSTC). The SMPSTC is a jointly owned and operated training center for public safety employees, primarily police officers and fire fighters. The training center is jointly owned and operated by the cities of Edina, Eden Prairie, Bloomington and the Metropolitan Airports Commission.
I took my regular Monday morning OCM (Office of the City Manager) staff meeting there yesterday to get a taste of the place. This group includes the managers of our internal support functions like Human Resources, Finance, Communications, Facilities, IT and Administration. This group of managers provides all the necessary support services that keep our five operating departments (Parks & Rec, Public Works, Fire, Community Development, and Police) up and going.
I wanted these managers to get a better understanding of the Police services we provide by arranging for them to get up close to one of the most important aspects of being a Police Officer, which is the ongoing training it takes to be a Police Officer – which is considerable. So yesterday we all went to the training center to participate in firearms training. Granted, our firearms training was very short and very elementary, but it provided a good opportunity for these managers to gain a new understanding – and empathy – for our Police Officers.
They got to feel the weight of a gun. They got to experience the sound of a gun being fired. They got to learn how difficult it is to fire a handgun at a target, even one that’s only 5 yards away. They got an understanding of how important it is to train and be safe with firearms. Now, sure, we could have talked about all of this in a staff meeting, but it’s not the same as being in the range and seeing, hearing, smelling, and feeling the awesome power of a firearm being discharged.
Photos: Far Left: Sgt. Chris Millard of the Eden Prairie Police Department (in the red shirt)was our training officer for the day. He did a great job of emphasizing the safety aspects of using firearms. Middle Left: Facilities Manager Paul Sticha fires the M16 down range. Middle Right: Communications Manager Joyce Lorenz puts in her ear protectors. Safety first. Far Right: IT Manager Lisa Wu fires several rounds from the Glock 9mm handgun. This is the standard issue side arm for Eden Prairie Police.
Building understanding and empathy among our city staff is important, in my view, to working together as an effective team. I know the managers of the OCM now have a much better understanding of what it takes to be a Police Officer, and I believe that understanding will positively impact their ability to serve the needs of the Police Department in the future.
