WILMINGTON — The parking lot at St. Ann’s Church in Wilmington was turned into a display of Wilmington Police Department personnel and assets on Nov. 3, and students from the parish school were able to see all of them in action.
Master Cpl. Erik Meese, the father of a St. Ann student, was one of the officers on hand to talk to the students. He explained some of what the department does, and he introduced the various officers and their units. The department brought out personnel and equipment from the explosive ordinance disposal, forensics, SWAT, motorcycle and K-9 units.
Cpl. Simonds from the motorcycle unit brought the department’s Harley Davidson and drove it slowly around the lot for the students. He also demonstrated how the lights and sirens work. One student wanted to know what he did if he ran out of gas.
“I call a tow truck like you,” Cpl. Simonds said.
Each of the stops was popular, but one that drew a lot of attention was the explosive ordinance disposal unit, commonly known as the bomb squad. The department brought along a robot used to examine suspicious items and detonate them if necessary without the need for a human being to get too close.
The officer there was able to conduct a small explosion without too much alarm. He had some students hold a yellow plastic tube that contained a small amount of explosive. Fourth-grade teacher Meghan Solge held the end of the tube, and she was a bit startled when the explosive was detonated with a loud bang and flash.
Students were also able to pass around the helmet used by members of the unit that they wear when in a precarious position. It weighed 15 pounds; the explosive suit they wear weighs 85 pounds, the officer told the group. One student also was able to don the ballistics vest the officers wear.
With a police Bearcat armored vehicle in the background, Cpl. Shea explained how the department uses it. It can be deployed when President Biden or other dignitaries are in the city, or when search warrants are served. It is bullet-proof, so it can be used to shelter people who are in precarious positions. One student was curious about a certain subject.
“Can you carry celebrities like Taylor Swift?” she asked. The answer, of course, was yes, but the police department had not had the occasion to do that yet.
In the forensics section, an officer showed the students how law enforcement uses magnetic powder to find fingerprints. A few students donned latex gloves and helped move the powder around using a magnetic cursor.
Perhaps the most popular demonstration was the last one. It involved two K-9 officers, Exo and Enzo. Sgt. Andrew Conine, Exo’s handler, said his dog is one of the older dogs in the department. He explained that dogs can be used to apprehend suspects when necessary.
“If we’re going to use our dogs to apprehend people, it’s got to be something serious,” he said.
Enzo, a younger dog who had yet to begin his service on the street, bounded out of the back of a police SUV and showed just how focused the K-9’s are. He grabbed on to a toy and refused to let go until commanded by his handler. An officer put on a bite sleeve and had Enzo grab on without losing his grip while the officer thrashed around. That is something the police like to avoid.
“We don’t want our dogs to bite anyone,” Sgt. Conine said.
Cpl. Meese finished by explaining to the students that there are all kinds of jobs within the police department should they be thinking about that avenue. What they do now, however, can affect their future. The decisions they make as children and teenagers can affect their ability to become a police department employee.
“All of the decisions you make … can have effects down the road,” he said.
All photos by Mike Lang.
