Over the last year, there have been many stories about police actions that have made local and national headlines, with Ferguson, Missouri taking center stage. Most of the stories, including some right here in the Tri-State, have involved the public's outrage towards how the police have handled some of these situations. The fact of the matter is that unless you have been a police officer, and in those situations, it can be very tough to judge exactly what happened and who did what to whom. Sometimes the police are wrong and sometimes their actions are not only justified, but necessary.

It is for that reason, the Evansville Police Department is kicking off a new program called "Life on the Beat", which puts the citizens in the shoes of the police officers by participating in reality based scenarios, in which the citizen plays the part of the police officer.

The purpose of the program is not to train people how to be a cop, but rather to give citizens a much better understanding of how and why officers react as they do to certain situations. There will be an open discussion following each scenario with the hope of opening better lines of communication between the public and the police.

Some of the scenarios will involve a firearms simulator. The program is free and open to the public. Participants must be at least 18 years of age, but any age can attend the event, which will be held this Wednesday, October 22nd at Fairlawn Elementary school at 2021 S. Alvord Blvd. from 6-8pm.

 

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