CLP 2010: Day 24, Tuesday, June 22

College Leaders Program Class of 2010
Day 24-Tuesday, June 22
Recorded by: Elisabeth Maddrell, Mary Baldwin College

Today we took a trip to the Capitol! We were all on the bus at 6:45 a.m. and all asleep by 6:46. After battling the rush hour traffic, we made it to Richmond around 8:30 a.m. Our first speaker at the Virginia State Capitol was Tucker Martin, the Communications Director for Governor McDonnell. He shared some entertaining stories of damage control, including the week that the thesis story broke. Then Doug Domenech, the Secretary of Natural Resources, spoke about his typical day and his job responsibilities. Following Mr. Domenech was Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli. He spoke about a range of issues, including the role of his office in Virginia and why he believes that the national health care plan is categorically unconstitutional.

Just as the morning started to drag and our stomachs told us that lunchtime was approaching, Delegate Bill Janis came into the room. He immediately made us change seats based on where we went to high school. He made sure that those of us who went to out-of-state schools were welcomed, and he told them that they made the right decision coming to Virginia, because after all, Virginia is the best! He kept us engaged with funny one-liners such as, “A citizen legislature is a damn expensive hobby!” (in reference to the pay received by the legislature in relation to the work put in). When discussing the powerful role of a judge during a bench trial, he said, “Judges are the closest things to God on earth. One man decides if you go see Old Sparkie.” He kept us laughing, but also got us to think critically about the role of government and what the exact implications of altering the one-term governorship would be for the balance of power in Virginia government.

After lunch the group traveled to the Virginia State Police Academy. We were welcomed by Colonel W. Steven Flaherty, the Superintendent of the Virginia State Police. He gave us a broad overview of the average duties of his office and of his state troopers. When asked what the most moving experience he has had during his years as a police officer, he stated that the Virginia Tech shootings was one of the most tragic experiences he has had, but it was truly life-changing. However, when asked what has been the most challenging aspect of his job, he didn’t say 9/11 or the DC sniper; rather, it had been recent cuts in the budget by millions! He said doing the same job with billions less is not an easy job! After he spoke to us, we were able to experience a little more of the Police Academy experience. First, we saw a demonstration of the power of the canine units and one dog in particular. Our demonstrator suited up in a protective 60-pound suit and showed us what it is like to be attacked by a police-trained German shepherd. Needless to say I would not have wanted to be the person in that suit, for the obvious reason, but also because it was about 100 degrees outside! We were then led on a tour throughout the Academy.

But by far the most exciting and nerve-wracking experience of the day was the MILO. The MILO is a program that is meant to simulate real situations that the police are trained to deal with. Many of the situations involved a violent scene, and you were armed with a gun and had to do your best to react to the situation as though you were the responding police officer. Of course the guns were not loaded with bullets, but equipped with a laser. When the gun was fired, the laser registered with the computer operating system, and after the simulation the instructor could replay the situation and see if you hit the assailant or not. Some of us needed to shoot someone in the simulation, but we all missed! It is lucky the safety of Virginia doesn’t lie in the hands of the Sorensen CLP Class of 2010, otherwise things could get ugly!

The Police Academy was our last stop for the day and we returned back to Bice for a tasty Moroccan dinner!