Greeson: Simulators, Siegel and school scores

Jay Greeson
Jay Greeson

News broke Thursday evening that a man allegedly tried to kill a Chattanooga police officer, first swerving his car at the officer then firing a gun at the cops in pursuit.

It's a scene very few of us can imagine.

But it's a scene for which all of us can help our brave law enforcement officers prepare.

photo Jay Greeson

Six days ago, I strapped on almost 30 pounds of gear and, with Shelly Bradbury, this paper's crime reporter, went through three computer-generated simulations. It's a testing apparatus the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office would love to have, and one that, in truth, would benefit all of us if it did.

The three scenarios we saw Monday ranged from a late-night breaking and entering to a domestic situation and identifying a possible murder suspect on the street in broad daylight.

Each was different, and one of the great things about the system is that our actions dictated how the people in the simulation reacted.

After participating in the exercise - and, to be fair, "Cagney" Bradbury and I took home first place - I know the following things:

* My heart was racing - and that was in a simulator. I can barely imagine the adrenaline and intensity of a real-life encounter.

* The more that officers can participate in any type of pre-incident training, the better prepared they will be and the better it will turn out for everyone.

* The folks we count on to fight crime in and around our fair town deserve a "thank you" the next time you see them.

They also deserve that simulator.

Paying for excellence

Kevin Spiegel's name was in the headlines again this week.

He got a raise and several incentives, and now his annual compensation could exceed seven figures.

You know what? He deserves it.

Yes, an annual income with multiple commas in it catches a lot of attention in a metropolitan area like ours where the average annual salary is between $35,000 and $40,000.

But three years ago, before Spiegel arrived, Erlanger was worse off than Hutcheson Medical Center, which is on the verge of being sold off for parts as we speak.

Under Spiegel, Erlanger has turned red ink into record-setting profits.

If you begrudge people making a lot of money for being very good at their job, well, that's your problem.

Counter service

Earlier this week, a man outside Atlanta was arrested at a Kroger for driving his wheelchair while under the influence.

Danny Mitchell, 48, reportedly was driving his automated chair into walls and over plants.

He said he was on two narcotics and had consumed a pint of alcohol.

And the reason he was at the Kroger?

To pick up his drug prescription, of course.

More tests to come

The news about the state's 2015 Report Card on student performance was not good for the Hamilton County Schools.

Our school district earned a 1 out of 5 for academic growth. It's a problem and something I know Rick Smith and his inner circle take very seriously. And knowing Rick, he is probably in his office this morning trying to think about how he, the Board of Education, principals and teachers can help all students advance.

But the headlines and hand-wringing should come with at least a measure of perspective.

This score was about academic improvement levels, and that in and of itself can be deceiving. Hamilton County got the worst "improvement" score of the four big systems in our state, but ranked no worse than second in eight of 10 tested subjects coming out of this testing period.

In that sense, it's not unlike a B student remaining a B student but not improving as much as an F student who becomes a C student.

Yes, Smith and his folks can do better. Yes, we all should want the best for our schools and our students.

But let's get all of the numbers crunched before storming Bonny Oaks with pitchforks raised.

Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com. His "Right to the Point" column runs on A2 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

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