They've been

getting their hands wet in police work, from processing a crime scene

to deciding whether they need to shoot a suspect during a computer-driven

live simulation.

Participants in the

Citizens Police Academy offered by the Peachtree City Police Department

said it has all been fun. In addition to the classroom work, they've

also had the chance to ride along with police officers to get a firsthand

look at what real policing is.

For most of them,

the ride along was "boring."

"Welcome to police

work," deadpanned Lt. David Lamb. "Long periods of boredom with

30 seconds of sheer terror."

Only one participant

saw significant action during her ride along: Candy Jones, who bragged

about watching FBI agents raid a residence, catching someone who was providing

fake Social Security cards to illegal immigrants.

For the others, however,

the ride-along was slower paced.

"I didn't

realize how much paperwork went into it," said Kristi Goss. "On

every call there were two or three pages with it."

**

Academy participants

also tested their firearms ability at the firearms simulator in Clayton

County. The simulator presented the students with a variety of scenarios

where they had to determine if and when to shoot a suspect.

Ranging from traffic

stops to innocuous complaint calls, the students faced situations that

police recruits are exposed to when their judgment is evaluated.

The computer also

recorded where the students shot to determine if they were effective,

and a slow-motion replay of the events proved telling as to each student's

effectiveness, displaying where each shot went.

"You take it

for granted when you walk up to a car but you really don't know what

you're getting into," said Melvin Ewing.

Ewing had to shoot

a shoplifting suspect in a department store who pulled a knife and charged

him.

Monae Pettaway faced

an innocent-seeming elderly man with a complaint about the tenant he was

renting his basement to. She was caught off guard when the man went back

inside his house and came out firing his shotgun at the tenant.

She shot the armed

man, who fell to the ground in a crouch momentarily, but lifted up briefly

to squeeze off a few more rounds at the tenant.

"The simulator

is a good tool," Pettaway said. "It gave me a better understanding

of how the officer is supposed to handle the weapon and what not to do."

Rebecca Raymer said

her experience in the firearms simulator wasn't what she expected

- based on watching the television show "COPS."

"I'm still

shaking," Raymer said minutes after her turn in the simulator.

**

Lt. Lamb, who taught

the class about identity fraud, one of the fastest growing crimes in the

country, shared how someone managed to steal his identity to purchase furniture

and other items. Someone in Oklahoma managed to get a department store credit

card in his name along with a driver's license with the offender's

picture and Lamb's name, social security number and other identifying

information.

Lamb suggested people

should get a copy of their credit report twice a year to check for any

inconsistencies. He also urged using a shredder to dispose of sensitive

materials at home and changing your driver's license number to one

different from their social security number.

Lamb also recommends

keeping most credit cards at home, carrying them only when necessary.

"Some gangs in

L.A. and New York are moving away from drug sales to identity fraud,"

Lamb said. "It's that lucrative."

Sgt. Mark Brown briefed

the class about the department's SWAT team, saying although the team

is activated just a few times a year it must be ready to go at any time.

The testing of applicants to the team is designed to put them under a

high amount of stress "so we can evaluate whether we have the right

people for the job," Brown explained. Not everybody who applies is

added to the team, he added.

The SWAT team is activated

for hostage rescue situations, suicidal persons, the execution of high-risk

search warrants, escaped prisoners and other extraordinary situations,

Brown said. Because of the inherent dangers with those scenarios, they

must train at a high level to be effective, Brown added.

The class was also

treated to an exhibition from the SWAT team at the city's fire practice

building which featured one SWAT member rappelling from the roof and the

use of flash-bang distraction devices before they swooped into the building

to make the arrest.

And contrary to popular

belief, the well-armed SWAT team "is designed to prevent injury,"

Brown said.

In most instances,

the team is deployed to a situation where surveillance has been taking

place for some time in advance so the team will know what it's getting

into, Brown said.

**

Several participants

said the class provided information they didn't expect, took them off

guard, or just plain fascinated them.

Steve Ivory said he

was surprised how difficult it can be to process a crime scene, from collecting

fingerprint evidence to compiling photographs all of which could be used

to prosecute a suspect.

Jim Rogers said he

didn't realize that the department reached out to the community youth

through the Boy Scout Explorer Post, school resource officers and other

programs. He also said he was impressed with the officers' wishes

to follow procedures to make sure persons rights aren't violated.

The class on drug

activity also was interesting, said Susan Leigh Baker and Kristi Goss.

"It was interesting

to see how they investigated those cases," Goss said.

Police Chief James

Murray, who taught the last class on ethics and professionalism, said

the department may offer an advanced citizens' police academy in

the summer due to interest expressed by the participants in this class.