Georgia requires fewer hours of basic training for law enforcement officers than any state but Hawaii. With this training, new officers enter unpredictable and dangerous situations where they must make quick decisions under stress.
Even though they had more than five years on the Columbus police force, that’s what Officer Michael Aguilar and his partner faced in the pre-dawn hours of Jan. 9, 2017.
Hector Arreola, 30, had called police twice after 3:40 a.m., fearing he was being followed and his mother was in danger. When Aguilar and Officer Brian Dudley showed up at Arreola’s mother’s house to check on her safety, they found him outside.
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