BERLIN COP LEARNS LOCAL ROPES

arah Wachholz sat in a Richlands Town Police cruiser last week not
because she had broken the law, but because she is learning to uphold
it. Wachholz, a native of Berlin, Germany, is a police officer in
training.

She has been a student in the police academy in Berlin for two years
with one to go. Wachholz actually came to Richlands to attend her
sister's wedding.

Her sister's fiance arranged for her to spend the day with a Richlands
officer during her stay. "She is riding with us to see how we operate
and how we compare to German police," said Richlands Officer Darrell
McGlothlin. "When it comes down to it, there's not that much
difference. Police work is police work."

The fundamentals of the work may be similar, but Wachholz did notice
a few differences in police agencies, cultures and countries.
Wachholz said that difference she quickly noticed is that police
officers in America - or at least this part of it - patrol alone.
"One difference is that in Germany we are always driving with two
persons in one car for safety," Wachholz said
in outstanding English. "We also have big cars with tables in them
where we can write papers."

The stereotype of police officers stopping for donuts and coffee is
also unheard of in Germany. "We are only allowed to eat in the Police
Department," Wachholz said. "We are not allowed to go somewhere and
sit down to eat." However, German officers are allowed to stop at the
McDonald's drive-thru as long as they take their lunch back to the
station, Wachholz explained with a grin.

The level and types of crime are also very different in the two countries,
especially relating to drugs and alcohol, which Wachholz said are
generally not serious problems in Germany. "I was very surprised to
hear about your drug problem and alcohol problem," Wachholz said. "We
have no alcohol problem because everyone drinks in Germany. We have
marijuana, but it is legal. You can smoke a marijuana cigarette on
the street. People don't abuse things when they are legal. It's not
interesting when it is legal."

Wachholz also found the strong presence of firearms in America
shocking. "Here everyone has a gun," Wachholz said. "In Germany, it
is very hard to get a gun without a license and you can only shoot in
restricted areas." German police officers do carry guns, but seldom
use them.

According to Wachholz, the percentage of female officers in Germany
is much higher than in the U.S. "About 30 percent of the police
officers in Germany are women," Wachholz said. "In training, it is
about half-and-half. Some
of the older policemen don't like policewomen and don't think they can
do their job, but it is becoming more and more."

Wachholz said becoming a police officer was her grandfather's idea,
but she has been very pleased with her decision to enter law
enforcement. "I think it is the most interesting thing I can do.
Every day is different,"
Wachholz said. "It is like a big family in the police.

Everyone helps everyone and works as a team." That attitude is perhaps
the unifying mark throughout all law enforcement. "Police officers are
police officers worldwide," McGlothlin said. "We have the same goal,
to make out communities a safe place to live."