Local law enforcement get refresher on interacting with community

DENMARK, Tenn. — Local law enforcement got a refresher course Monday on how they interact with the public on a daily basis.

“Everybody knows policemen have a trouble communicating, and we try to solve some of those problems,” said John Sebeck, instructor of the Street Crimes Seminar. “Because shooting only compromises a very, very small part of police work. Everyone thinks about violent encounters where in reality most officers never draw their weapon.”

Sebeck has been teaching the class for 10 years and before that worked for more than 30 years as a police officer in Chicago.

Sheriff John Mehr says they brought the class to Madison County to get a better perspective.

“We want them to hopefully just see some new ideas that they normally don’t get in lots of other training, because it’s coming from a different perspective,” Sheriff Mehr said. “Our whole purpose of doing this is to enhance the interaction between law enforcement and the general public, get the general public to be more involved with us and then to have an attitude of ‘Hey, they are here to help us.'”

Sebeck says he hopes after these three days of training the officers and deputies take with them not only things they can use on the job but in their personal lives too.

“We remind them to take care of themselves both physically and mentally and just give them a little edge on how to talk to people on the street,” Sebeck said.

The class wraps up on Wednesday.