[April 30, 2012]
Police Media Interaction Day
What would you do if you are given one day to become someone you are not?
Police MIND as they call it, is a program of Cebu City Police Office wherein members of the media are given the chance to be police officers for 24 hours and let them experience the work of policemen within that period of time.
I was assigned as the Chief of Fuente Police Station (Station 2).
It was difficult juggling schedules between being a media practitioner and a police station chief at the same time.
I'm just glad that the whole Station 2 was very supportive and they prepared everything for me - from the inspection to the feeding to the checkpoint to the saturation drive! Haha
It was a busy day then.
We had to be at CCPO by 6am for the live airing of Buena Mano and for us to practice our steps as well.
After the turn-over ceremony, we had our command conference.
Then I was assigned to cover a press conference regarding cervical cancer.
Only after that was I able to visit my station.
By 12 noon, I inspected police deployed as beat patrols.
Then I had to go to CPPO for a press conference regarding four men caught for using fake money.
Went up to the station to write my scripts.
Went down after my duty and went directly to the old Fuente Police Station for our feeding program.
Ate dinner afterwards.
Had a 2 hour rest.
Conducted checkpoint from 10pm-11:30 pm.
And lastly had a saturation drive at Sambag Dos 11:30 onwards.
What a day right?
It's like serving two masters at the same time. Haha
It was a good experience indeed.
It's once in a lifetime!
A week after, all of us were given commendations.
And please give me this bragging right and shout to the whole world that during our stay as police chiefs, there were no recorded incidents of stabbing, shooting and robbery. Oh yeah? Haha
Being a police for a day made me realize that their work is not easy.
They have huge responsibilities to the people and they have to risk their lives in order to protect the public.
I must admit, I fear death and these people must be very brave to gamble their lives everyday.
Yes, the organization still has lots of improvements to do.
They are not perfect and they have their own lapses just as a family has its black sheep.
As I told everyone during the assessment, 24 hours might not be enough for us to understand the totality of police work.
But when I wore that uniform, even when it did not dress me with the knowledge and experience those policemen have, I made sure that I cloth myself with the passion for service - even if we understand it differently, even if we stand in two different ends.
The activity might have opened our eyes on how difficult police works are but still if one commits mistakes that concerns public interest, we will still remain to be your number one critic.
