HAULT!! Polizi!!

Today was an amazing day! We were able to take a study break from these dreaded finals and go to the police station downtown. We all went and had a great time. We started talking to the police man in charge of public relations and he gave us a ton of statistics and facts about the area. He gave a very informational presentation and then led us around the station. He told us that the major problems are theft, property damage and public intoxication. They are not very dangerous and that makes the area very safe. From the presentation we went to have a look around. We all were able to go into a jail cell and check it out. There was a hole for a toilet and a bed that was watched at all times with a video camera. There are no removable items so nothing can be destroyed. A stay over night will cost you 120 Euros. He said we could stay the night but we would have to pay and he would not recommend it. Another crazy fact was that when inmates are served food they can only use a spoon to eat. This is so they cannot swallow their utensils. Apparently you cannot swallow a spoon but forks and knives... Who knew!?! If they would then the inmates have to be sent to the hospital for them to be fished out.
From there we went downstairs to the training section. We met with an officer and trainer, Peter, and he showed us the works. We got to hold and look at a 9mm pistol, a MP5 gun and a large gun. They were fairly heavy. We had a good time messing around with them. We also were able to try on his belt with everything on it. He had a whole table set up with things. Other items were handcuffs, a wand, shield, pepper spray, helmet, ammunition and the guns. We also were able to use the training system the cops use. They have a screen on the back wall with a computer set up where they have still and moving targets. We were able to shoot a laser gun and hit the targets. Anna and I had a fun time with personal lessons on how to handcuff and speedcuff someone. We had each other pinned up on the wall and cuffed pretty quick. We learned some tricky moves.
From there we went outside to meet with the men in charge of the drug dogs. This part was very cool to watch. Each police man had his own dog that he owns and he takes care of. It is one master to one dog and they are trained very well. They know to sit, stay, lay and attack. Each dog has a different specialty. Some search for explosives others drugs. The dogs were a German Shepard-- Ben, Belgian Shepard-- Bear and a dog from the Netherlands--Bucher. They go through strict training starting at the age of 10 months to one year. They need to be in top physical condition down to the proper hip placement. It costs 15,000- 20,000 Euros to train each dog. They can preform until they are retired. The dogs use the smell and are trained that it is a game to find the explosive or drug. They are to find it and then they get a reward. The police need to make sure that the dog's do not become addicted to it or take it out of control. If the dog eats the item then they are immediatly given medicine to throw it up. The dog's think it is fun and a challenging game to find the item. The only time that the dog is allowed to bite is when he has a large leather collar on. This ritual tells him that he is allowed to bite the victim. A bite has 8,000 Kilos of pressure per one centimeter. You would NOT want to be bitten. They are also not allowed to bite unless the person moves. If they stand still then the dog will do nothing. We had a few demonstrations. One was hidden drugs in the garage. The dog found it very quickly and laid down as soon as he found it in the exact spot. The others took place out in the lawn. We saw Bear in training with following orders very exactly. Then Ben came out and showed us the biting chase. One of the police put on a large padded arm covering and went out in the field. Ben stayed very close to his master but you could tell he was very excited. They walked up slowly, Ben did not flinch until he was commanded to. He was great. The dogs were so smart. Dogs have a 200,000,000 times better sense of smell than humans. You could tell the dogs loved their owner and the owners loved them. Dogs are truly man's best friend. At the end of the day the dogs go home with their owners and it is no longer work. They know exactly when it is time to work or play. You can definitely see the loyalty and trust between the dogs and owners.
As you can see we had a great time and found it very interesting! It was a good study break too! Well only 4 more finals to go! and 7 more days until we come home!
Love you and Miss you all!!
Love, Andrea and the girls! <3