By By JOHN EBY / Dowagiac Daily News
CASSOPOLIS - Addressing his third Cass County Citizen Police Academy graduation Thursday afternoon at the Council on Aging, Prosecutor Victor Fitz commented,"It's a great program Sheriff (Joseph) Underwood and his department have put together. It's really becoming an institution here in the county, and a great thing for the county to have as an asset."
Each of the 11 graduates received a red rose, with the final flower from the dozen presented by Senior Safety Coordinator Patty Carlisle to her colleague, Deputy Sheriff Kim Sharma, who celebrated her 30th birthday June 22.
Carlisle portrayed "the bad guy" for mock traffic stops they conducted while participants drove the squad car.
Members of the Class of 2005 are Brenda Arnett, Lois Dickhaut-Furzey, Judith Schalm, Dorothy Wallace, Catherine Bland, Joe Gibbs, Lisa Schmidt, Arthur Charbonneau, Jane Landis, Gwen Shafer and Howard Whitehouse.
Citizen Police Academy will be offered again in spring 2006.
Fitz apologized for his rolled-up sleeves and loosened tie, as he arrived at the COA from playing softball with foster children at their annual picnic.
Fitz selected the topic for his remarks from three potential themes: you only have 100 years to live; a mind is a terrible thing to waste; or, in the words of Winston Churchill, "never give up, never give up, never give up."
Citizen Academy graduates "are making good use of your 100 years, Fitz said. "Some people, when they get close to retirement age - or even before they're that age - they give up and coast the rest of the way because they can't do things as well as they used to. You do the best with what you have and keep active - that mind, in particular, such as you are in this class, learning about the community and how our ever-changing legal system works. Knowledge is power. You only have 100 years, for the most part, to utilize what you've been given. Continuing to learn, as you're doing here, is a great thing."
Graduates visited the Law and Courts Building and E-911 Emergency Operations Center and experienced preliminary hearings and closing arguments in a Fourth District Court domestic violence case, met Animal Control Director Pat Fetherston,
Fitz's lifelong passion for baseball was evident recounting the book he's been reading by George Cantor following the World Series champion 1968 Detroit Tigers. Fitz reeled off their lineup position by position, from the bullpen to the backup catcher and most of their batting averages, though his ardor was cooled by the 1994 strike.
Graduates toured the jail - "hopefully, it was the first time for everybody," the prosecutor grinned - "and you saw real life there. This isn't just TV. You saw what a great job we do here locally with the limited amounts of money we have to make sure the system runs well. The judges are always trying to find creative ways to make sure justice is done for defendants. Prosecutors, with limited staffs, have to make sure the right things are done on very serious, life-and-death cases.
Chris Siebenmark, district representative for state Sen. Ron Jelinek, R-Three Oaks, called Cass "the best at collaboration of the three counties we have in the district. They really come together at the Human Services Coordinating Council and the Board of Commissioners … you guys do a whole lot with very little and you're a great example."