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Show 6 — For the week of September 19, 2008 ST. GEORGE NEIGHBORHOODS The Spectrum — www.thespectrum.com Police keep skills sharp with training exercises BY TIFFANY DE MASTERS . tdemasters@thespectrum.com ST. GEORGE — Six St. George police officers pulled three suspects out of a vehicle at gunpoint Wednesday afternoon on a side street of the Fort Pierce Industrial Park. Although the guns were plastic and the. suspects were police officers, the exercise was made as real as possible to train officers to be prepared for anything when performing a highrisk stop. The exefcise Wednesday was also emergency vehicle training, which included high-speed pursuits, throwing out Stop Sticks, or tire deflation devices, and basic driving skills. Sgt. Albert Gilman played the bandit, and was chased by three police cars. As he weaved around side streets in the industrial park he said officers don't have the opportunity to practice pur- suits on a day-to-day basis. “We incorporate everything possible and we make it as real as possible with the course were on, he said. Part of making the course real is having obstacles. In certain areas along the way, vehicles were strategically placed so when the pursuing officers came upon them they had to react in the correct fashion. “They're called interfer- ence cars, he said. At the end of the pursuit officers have to lay out Stop Sticks, or spikes, in the road to stop the “bandit?” - Officer Jordan Minnick said it’s really good training. “The spikes are the most difficult part because you don't know where the vehicle is going to go,’ he said. Officer Lona Cullison agreed. She said they don't work with spikes quite as much. Minnick added the pursuit training is enjoyable. “It’s good to come out and work together to build our skills and camaraderie; Cullison said. Sgt. James Van Fleet was with the officers training dud Burkett / The Spectrum St. George Police Department Officer Aaron Bergquist keeps his (imitation) weapon trained on a vehicle he and his for the high-risk stops. He said it’s important to be prepared for these scenarios. “Everything is set up to fellow officers stopped ing exercise conducted Georg where we do it consistently; he said. “The whole goal is to get this as real as possible’ during a trainrecently in St. With two to three people in the vehicle, officers sure See TRAINING on page 7 Women of St. George honored BY SCOTT KERBS skerbs@thespectrum.com ST. GEORGE — A handful of women representing a broad range of professional and educational backgrounds were honored Sept. 9 at the annual Woman of Achievement Award ceremony. The St. George chapter of Business and Professional Women/USA _ sponsored the event and recognized 10 of the city’s outstanding women in a variety of award categories. BPW/USA is a nationwide, grass roots organization with the goal of providing support to professional women through advocacy, professional training and networking. The Woman of Achievement Awards recognized a diverse group of professional women in 10 separate categories, including honors for excellence in leadership, philanthropy and education. Jan Broberg Felt, a professional film, television and stage actress, was presented with an award for her dedication to cultural arts. She has appeared in numerous films and television programs, including the CBS drama “Touched by an Angel” and the WB series “Everwood? “Tt is nice to be among such great estrogen; she joked while addressing the women's advocacy group. While her charismatic presentation inspired laughter, she later spoke of the unrivaled power of artistic expression, and a profound impact on her li Broberg Felt ‘said her involvement in the arts offered a vestige of solace throughout her youth as she struggled to cope with the lingering effects of child- hood abuse. As a child, she was kidnapped, abused and brainwashed by her captor, a traumatizing experience she was able to overcome through an unyielding devotion to the arts, she said. After the FBI returned Broberg Felt to her family, she said the effects of prolonged brainwashing prevented her from initially sharing any information with her loved ones and . sparked haunting suicidal thoughts. “Tt was community theater that gave me a place to express my feelings and eventually understand what happened; she said. “It was through my theater experience that I did not commit suicide. It is literally the thing that saved my life” Following the brief presentation, she said the eSee WOMEN on page 7 |