Dzien Dobry (Hello in Polish),
I was fortunate enough to be selected to participate in the 2007 International Police Program (IPP) and travel to Poland to study with the Polish National Police. Wow, what an experience! Having never traveled abroad before, I was not sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised and I will attempt to relate my "once in a lifetime" experience in a few short words.
Poland is beautiful country with people who are passionate about their history. They were a communist country just 18 years ago. Many officers began their police career in a communist police department. I asked what was the biggest change has been since communism. I expected some answer having to do with politics. Not even close, every person said shopping. I have always taken for granted the availability of goods like groceries, cars, clothes, and furniture. I have always been able to go get what I wanted, when I wanted it. Not so for the Polish people until a 1988. I enjoyed talking to officers and hearing stories about the days of communism.
The accommodations were first class and every meal was laid out for us in spectacular fashion. Our group was given the red carpet treatment everywhere we went, and we were on the go the entire trip. We spent most of our time at the Specialized Police Training Center in Legionowo. There we saw the crime lab, bomb tech classroom, the narcotics training classroom, the traffic police classroom, the driving track with a demonstration in driving cars and motorcycles, a defensive tactics demonstration, and the shooting range. We also traveled and rode on the boats with the water police division, we saw the canine training facility at Sulkowice, and we saw a trial and were exposed to the legal system, and we visited a two year old prison facility. This is definitely an interactive study program. Our group was encouraged to actively participate in every aspect of our orientations.
Time was set aside to see many different landmarks and regions as well. We visited the Polish Uprising Museum, several castles, the Jona Gosna Monastery, a salt mine, Aushwitz, old town Warsaw, and Krakow. There is no way to describe all of these experiences. Each was amazing in it's own right.
So many people made this trip possible. I want to thank my family for their support while I was away for two weeks. I would like to thank Chief Pat Fuller who believes in training and education, and for allowing me the time to go and experience this. I would also like to thank Janush and Kate who were with us every step in Poland translating for us and teaching us a few crucial words in the process! I would like to thank Dr. Rita Watkins for her guidance on this trip and her untiring devotion to making sure Texas police officers receive the best training available. I would also like to thank the IPP Program Coordinator, Carolyn Martinez, who made this training possible. I would encourage all police officers to contact Carolyn and submit an application to study abroad.
David Rider - Captain (LCC Class 28)
Austin Independent School District Police Department
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