For the first time tonight, I escorted Nolan to a “go and see” event for Cub Scouts. Up until the point, other than the numerous trips to the Scout Shop I have made, James has taken the lead. Nolan was very excited for this field trip. He along with all the other scouts were bouncing off the walls in anticipation. All the boys wanted to see three things. Guns, handcuffs, and the “bad guys” in the jail. Unfortunately they were only allowed to see guns behind a glass case (the officer leading the tour said he could not pull out his gun for safety reasons), could not individually hold the handcuffs (the officer said his handcuffs were filthy and dirty from “bad guy” germs and that even he does not like to touch them), and for safety reasons they were not allowed in the jail either. BUT despite those brief disappointments, they boys had a blast (and so did the parents too actually).
It was no surprise that the Frisco Police Department Headquarters is very nice and outfitted with all the bells and whistles to rival any police department. The police officer leading the tour (who looked thrilled beyond words to lead these rowdy first graders…insert sarcasm) began the tour with an overview of the police uniform with all the accessories and what they are used for.
(Nolan has his hand raised within the first five minutes with a question)
Next he took us to one of the evidence rooms and explained how evidence is examined and logged and stored. Once it is put in a designated locker, there are only three people in the entire police department that can access the evidence so it is not tainted before a case goes to court.
One of the highlights for the boys was a trip inside the indoor shooting range. Ironically Frisco PD does not have its own outdoor range, but instead uses a shooting range on the property of a retired Secret Service agent who lives about 15 minutes from the deparment. We learned the officers must pass shooting tests twice a year from various distances inside the range (if you look closely in the first picture you can see the yellow lines used to mark distances they must fire from). One test is with the lights on and one is with the lights off where they can only use their own flashlight to find the target. Can you imagine?
Behind the targets in black are recycled tire pieces to stop the shell casings.
We headed outside to see an armored vehicle which we learned does get much use in Frisco (thank goodness)! This vehicle was awarded as a part of a grant and must be shared with other various pollice departments in the area. It cost $250,000! Nolan thought it was so cool that even the tires are bullet proof!
The tour would not be complete without a lesson about the police car. We learned these Tahoes are purchased in bulk for about $26,000 each and by the time they are outfitted with everything they need they cost about $80,000 per car. Due to how heavy the vehicles are, they only get about 10 miles per gallon.
Hanging on the roof of the inside of the front part of the cab is a shot gun. The shot gun can only be released when a magnetic button is pushed. The location of the button is hidden somewhere in the front of the car and is a secret only known to the police officers. The boys were fascinated as to where it could be.
Although the boys were not allowed in the front of the vehicle, the police officer let them crawl through the back. Frisco police cars each have a cage in the back for saftey reasons when transporting criminals. The cages cost about $1000 each. Our tour guide told us Dallas Police Department cannot afford to have these cages. Scary thought.
I told Nolan this better be the ONLY time he is ever in the back of a cop car! It is a blurry picture, but Nolan is the third boy.
Learning about the police motorcycle.
And finally a picture with our tour guide. One serious one and one silly one.
We learned the Frisco police department receives about 360 calls every 24 hours with 1/4 of the calls about a home alarm (Only 1% of those calls are NOT false alarms) . Oops! We have been in that a category.
It was as great “go and see.” Sorry James missed this one!
On Saturday is the big scouting event of the year, The Pinewood Derby. Other than a little accessorizing, Nolan’s derby car is ready. Apparently the derby races these days are quite the experience. Nolan is beyond excited!
And thanks to all those that purchased popcorn from Nolan this year. We learned tonight his dues for next year are almost 50% reduced because of his own popcorn sales. Thank you!
