Deputies Offer Classes on Stresses Facing Officers

Sheriff’s deputies at the East Los Angeles station are giving 11-week courses to promote a better understanding of the pressures law enforcement officers face.

The first class to complete the Community Academy course will be recognized in ceremonies tonight. The class consists primarily of lectures dealing with a variety of concerns such as gang activity and drug dealing.

In addition, the group was given a tour of the Men’s Central Jail downtown and participated in a role-playing scenario in which they portrayed deputies and the deputies portrayed criminals.

Deputy Joe Bolanos said deputies want residents to know “why we do the things we do, like why do we have people laying down on the ground when we do a felony stop. They may not know it’s for the officer’s safety.”

Activists in predominantly minority communities, however, have long complained that the procedure--called “proning out”--is often used to harass law-abiding civilians who pose no threat to officers’ safety.