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There may have been a time when the only policeman who came to CNN in the organization with a national reputation for helping drug addicts was to check out a law violation. But that's no longer true for some 75 Oakland law enforcement officers now play the scene

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in, in game. Most times the uniforms are left behind and no reference is made to the officer's rank. All will receive credit for their 10 weeks of attendance here through a university of California extension course called the police and the community. They're really not police officers

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when they walk in the, in the front door, center in on their people and residents of center non, I have a welcome mat out for all kinds of people and I really don't even see, uh, I don't see a reaction to any group. We don't react

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to doctors or policemen or lawyers or housewives anymore than they are as people. So it's been very good. In fact, a lot of very healthy, strong friendships have built up here. Almost everything that I had heard read about, senator had been somewhat derogatory and I was

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concerned with finding out what this segment of our society in the community was basically, they're sending our members that have been here several years that are very attuned to the game and the game has to be controlled

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and they more or less start the game out and we start talking about ourselves. I think the basic understanding of the game is to really talk about yourself to understand yourself. Uh, it's the same with the Senate are members. They understand us and we try to

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understand them also. Um, in the experiences that they have had, the experiences that we have had, we sort of relay them and kick them back and forth to see if we have done the right thing or they have done the right thing is there's a lot

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of years of living combined with all the members and we're sort of using this to just look at ourselves. The average game that we do play is approximately 15-20 people per game. And in the game there are maybe one or two probation officers, three or 4

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centers non resident members And possibly a police officer from another agency other than opened, the remainder would be open police officers in the game. So probably in the neighborhood of 10 open officers in the game at one time. First. You, you just can't fall into a

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game and play like a member that's been playing for four or five years. You have too many inhibitions. You don't really trust the game as say you're afraid that possibly things you might say might embarrass you later on. It takes a while. It takes a few

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games, many games to get used to the fact of really talking about yourself. It's kind of a difficult thing to do in front of people that you really don't know. I found it first coming down here that it would be very strange talking to a lot

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of people that I have to deal with on the street and I think they felt the same thing. They have a nickname for the class in Sedona and called the cops and robbers. But I think as you start to talk to these people, you find out

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they're just cross segment of different, another walk of life. They're just the same as anybody else's and you really forget that one time that they were all hooked on dope, living a very rough life in jail in and out of jail all the time. And I

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found it quite refreshing to find an organization of nothing but dope fiends and what not getting along together a lot better than a lot of people in the outside world get along together. I think the exposure helps a great deal in that two years ago when

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I was a police officer, if somebody abused me verbally, I was quick to take action very quick to respond in whatever way I felt necessary at the time. However, now I'm certain that I could, I could withstand a lot more abuse of that nature prior to

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taking any action and it has helped them. Certainly, my impression of cinnamon has changed and I would hope that every member of the department can expose himself to send in on and find out the real what's of the department. I feel it would be advantageous. They

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are very skeptical in the beginning As a statement of the success of this experiment, 23 policemen from the city of Richmond's police force will become game players within a few days Belvedere Davis for Eyewitness News in Oakland.