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Decisions…Decisions   Last week I wrote about using the firearms simulator at the Citizens Police Academy training. I mentioned this training is important because our officers must learn critical decision-making skills.  CLICK HERE  if you missed that post.   I shared with you my overall success. Note I said, “overall,” not total. I joked with a friend that I managed to get a pretty good score…and only killed one civilian. Nothing funny there.   What? Yes it was a simulator, but killing one civilian is one too many.   I’ve been thinking this over all week. I know what happened there, but how it plays out in real life may be a more powerful lesson.   First, let’s go back to the simulator. We were paired with another classmate for the firearms simulator activity. The person with the weapon was to assess the situation alone and choose to fire or not. The other person was to remain quiet.    That worked for the most part. But in this one situatio...

  Train, Serve, Protect...  and Train Some More A couple of weeks ago I shared my first impressions of my local Citizens Police Academy. I have now completed three of my ten-week class sessions and last Saturday participated in a “ride along” experience with officers in the field.   I accompanied one officer Saturday evening from 7:00pm to the end of his shift before tagging along with the second officer until my tour ended at 2:00am on Sunday morning.    The “ride along” experience gave me a new view of my community. I didn’t realize how our roughly thirty-six square mile township fit in the scheme of the Greater Cincinnati area; in ethnicity and socio-economic status as well as in terms of land use.    I’ll admit, there was a part of me that wanted to see a bit of action. And I did. But there was the responsible adult in me hoping for a boring, uneventful evening… unless it of course involved something sweet and innocuous straight out of books of May...

May 1995 When is the Party? As most of my readers know, I was a teacher for many years. I eventually turned in the red pen used for grading and picked up the black one used for writing.     I loved teaching. I loved working with children in the elementary school setting. I have remained close to many of those kiddos through the years. I’ve attended a few graduations and weddings. I’ve watched as they have grown into incredible men and women. This is one such story.   In 1994, I received my class roster for the upcoming school year. It was my practice to complete a home visit with each of my students before the first semester started. I would call ahead and arrange a time to visit the student as well as meet the parents and siblings. Often the child would show me his or her room or introduce me to a beloved pet. One student asked me to climb up in the tree house he and his dad built together. I must admit that was a first, but because I loved to climb trees as a child, I o...

  “Citizen’s Arrest”   Remember when Gomer in the Andy Griffith show makes a citizen’s arrest? I can’t remember all of the details, but I do remember Gomer’s target was Barney.   I couldn’t help but recall Gomer calling after the deputy, “Citizen’s arrest! Citizen’s arrest!” as I checked in for my first class at my local Citizens Police Academy.    There were no Barney Fifes and no Gomer Pyles. I didn’t meet a Bruce Willis (Die Hard) or a Mel Gibson (Lethal Weapon) either. It’s not that I expected such characters, but our image of police is often shaped by television or movies.    The officers I met are deeply dedicated to serving others. I know they would arm themselves to the teeth and do anything and everything to protect our citizens from evil but that wasn’t the big takeaway. For the officers I met, it isn’t about badges and power. It isn’t about laws. It isn’t about force. Here is the big picture:   Police officers care  deeply  ab...

The Shared Life   This past week I attended my high school reunion. How many years? Um…let’s say… “A lot.” Okay, I’ll fess up. It was my fiftieth. Actually, “fifty plus one” since we could not celebrate last year due to COVID.    Because I was traveling from Ohio to Florida for the event, I thought this week’s blog would be all about reconnecting with my high school friends.    Indeed, it is a post about reconnecting, but in more ways than I expected.   My mom came with me so she could see some of her friends in Florida as well. We stopped for the night in southern Kentucky where many folks on my mother’s side of the family still live. My cousin, Gerry, graciously opened her home to us to spend the night. Moreover, she let other family members know of our visit. We all shared a delicious home cooked meal made complete with vegetables from the garden.    The food was wonderful, but the conversation lasting long into the shadows of the evening prove...

  “There’s No Place Like Home”   We all know the famous lesson Dorothy learned in the Wizard of Oz. “There’s no place like home." It’s true.   This past week, I traveled to Florida for my high school reunion. “Is that where you’re from?” one of my Ohio friends asked.   “Yep, I lived in a small town just north of Tampa."    Actually, I was born in Ohio and I’ve spent most of my life in Ohio. So why do I say I’m from Florida? I suppose it’s because those major events of life…those transitions an anthropologist would call “rites of passage” that catapult us from being a child to  being an adult, took place in Florida.   ·        I graduated from both high school and college in Florida ·        I got my drivers license and first car in Florida ·        I cast my first vote in Florida ·        I started dating in Florida ·  ...

  “Top Secret”   Mention the name “Fernald” in the Cincinnati area and you will receive everything from shivers to perplexed stares.   And when you tell them what a great time you had exploring the center there, longtime residents are shocked. “At Fernald?” they ask. “Do you glow in the dark?”   Have I piqued your interest?    From 1951 to 1989, Fernald operated as a uranium processing facility. It was one part of a nationwide Cold War weapons effort.    In 1989, contaminants were found released in the environment. Environmental remediation became the priority. Since the cleanup, the thousand plus acres have been converted into restored wetlands, prairies, and forests. There are seven miles of hiking trails where you can enjoy a variety of wildlife. On my first visit, I didn’t even leave the visitor center to watch a young deer loping across the grassland beyond the water. Back in the day...Radium posed no threat. In fact it was believed to impro...