​We Don't Know What We Don't Know

In February of this year, I attended Scottsdale Government 101. For 10 weeks, 40 participants were presented with numerous departments that organize building, maintaining and managing our city. The presenters ranged from City Council Members to the department heads of Tourism, Planning, Fire, Police, Water Resources, Zoning, Parks & Recreation, and Courts, including a tour of the Scottsdale Jail. The classes were informative and interesting and gave us an inside view of what it takes to run our city.  There was much I didn’t know. 

The classes were so thought-provoking and educational, I decided to register for the Scottsdale Citizens Police Academy. My friend Isabel, another perpetual student, and I are like moths to light, drawn to Wednesday evenings from 5 to 8 to discover the foundations of the Police Department. Each week the classes include presentations by 3 departments. For instance, Week 1 was our welcome by the officer who would remain with us during the entire duration. He presented the Body Camera Program followed by the Officer Training Unit. The Body Camera is now required as part of the officer’s uniform. Now I know.  

Week 3 was Vehicular crimes and Reconstruction Unit, Forensics with Lab tour and Crime Scene Specialist Demo. The lab tour is where we met K9 Bizy, a 2-year-old Black Labrador Retriever. He comes to Scottsdale PD though our partnership with the United States Secret Service Arizona Cyber Fraud Taskforce. Bizy is an Electronic Storage Detection K9 trained to detect the odor of a chemical coating (Triphenylphosphine oxide) on devices that assist in the dissipation of heat. This coating is on devices to include but not limited to SD cards, USB flash drives, hard drives and more. K9 Bizy will also be assisting the Scottsdale Police Department with human trafficking search warrants, internet crimes against children warrants and other things throughout the department. I knew dog lovers would appreciate this interesting bit about K9 Bizy. So cute!  

On Week 4, Sargent Lewis was our Certified Fraud Examiner with financial crimes. There is not enough space for me to write about all the current cybercrimes proliferating through our phones, computers, and mail, but I will leave you with this; The more convenient you make your life, the more risk of fraud you have. And Scottsdale is a target for crime because of the wealth and single women looking for love on the internet. Who knew!

With all this said, there is much to be thankful for to our Police officers, and the support staff behind the scenes, no matter where you live. We don’t know what we don’t know, and I encourage you to know more about your surroundings and conveniences this coming year. 
Stay happy and stay safe and Happy Thanksgiving. 

Much love,
Hilda