Thursday, October 18, 2012
I aimed for a kill shot, right at the heart — a strange feeling — even if the man was just a paper target.
I'd never fired a hand gun before, I told the Pinellas County Sheriff's deputy as we walked across a grassy field to the firing range on firearms training night at the latest Pinellas County Sheriff's Office Citizens Academy class. Technically I had fired a sniper rifle before, but I only got two shots, and it was a whole other story I didn't feel like getting into. I felt excited and a little nervous when we stepped up to the range. We put on eye and ear protection, which included a radio so the instructor could communicate. A line of about 15 targets — a bad guy brandishing a handgun — was set up about seven yards away. An empty Glock pistol sat on top of a blue, plastic barrel a few yards away. With an instructor at my side and one in …
Monday, October 8, 2012
Dunedin Patch editor Katie Dolac takes you along for the ride as she navigates this three-month program with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.
Ever wanted a better understanding of what it's like to be in law enforcement? To learn more about the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office and its role in the community? To see things from a deputy's point of view? You're in luck, and you don't even need to leave your house. Dunedin Patch editor Katie Dolac has embarked on a 12-week journey through the sheriff's Citizens Academy, a crash course for citizens, and she's taking Patch readers along for the ride. Follow Katie's adventures as she tours the crime lab and the jail, learns defense training, meets the men and women in uniform, and more. Here's her first-person series so far: Week 1: Inspiring Start to My Time in Sheriff's Citizens Academy Week 2: Crash Story Gets Teary at Sheriff's …
Sunday, September 30, 2012
OK, so you had a busy week. We understand. Let us catch you up on all the highlights!
1. A man armed with a railroad spike was arrested and charged with barging into a downtown Dunedin apartment and assaulting two people late Friday, deputies report. 2. Neither colon cancer nor financial strain is keeping the owners of Two Lions Winery from their vision of a bright future in Dunedin. 3. Accusations of political scheming surfaced last week when the city manager dropped an $800,000 package of city funding requests from Dunedin’s arts and cultural community dressed as a “Quality of Life Initiative.” What do you think of the controversy? 4. And just what does the future look like for quality of life in Dunedin? Patch asked the local candidates for mayor and the city commission about their vision. Here are there responses. 5. …
Thursday, September 20, 2012
My second Pinellas County Sheriff's Office Citizens Academy class brought back tragic memories, valuable lessons and information worth passing along.
The car crash images flashed up on the screen during our second Pinellas County Sheriff's Citizens Academy class, and my eyes instantly welled with tears. I was somewhat surprised at my reaction. It wasn't anything I had not seen before, but it dredged up memories I'd long since buried. In my years as a community journalist, I've been at the scene of many a DUI-related crash. I've held someone's hand through the most heart-wrenching of interviews, interviews that often left me crying with whomever had just tragically lost their wife or child to a drunk or reckless driver. Sometimes, I can still hear their sobs. The deputy shared some of what he remembered from the incident depicted on the screen in front of us. He told us that a group of…
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
On Day 1 at the Pinellas County Sheriff's Citizens Academy, Maj. Wayne Morris said his expectations for patrol deputies are simple: "I expect you to go home at night."
The law enforcement officer told me in a loud, clear voice to hold my name card up for a mugshot. I debated smiling and then regretted not wearing makeup. But I shirked it off and compromised with a half smile so my teeth didn't show. In all honesty, I was excited. This was something I've been wanting to do for more than a year. Posing for my ID card photo made my first day official: I am part of the 33rd class of the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office's Citizens Academy. I will spend the next 11 weeks learning more about what goes into being a Pinellas County Sheriff's deputy. The three-month program offers a behind-the-scenes look inside the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. It is open to eligible, adult members of the community and is …
Tyler Sontag
7:13 pm on Friday, September 21, 2012
Katie, Please let me know when you have range night. I'm always up for a good firing session! more ›