Tucked into the corner of Lansing Community College's West Campus, a mix of MSU students and area residents felt the heat.
They grappled with the question of when to use force, handled various ammunition and were even sent to shoot at dangerous assailants.
The police weapon tutorial was part of the East Lansing Police Department's annual Citizen's Police Academy, where average Joes are invited to take part in a free, 11-week training session.
The Academy gives participants an insider's view of how the ELPD operates, said Capt. Kim Johnson.
Officers Jim Hulliberger and Marc Smith, who also are the police department's use of force instructors, operated the session. The evening was capped off with Academy students taking part in their own dangerous situation with the help of a simulator.
"What you'll find, and some of you may not want to admit it, but your heart will speed up," Smith told the class. "It's nothing but a movie screen. … But it's enough to get some people worked up."
LaKeisha Dortch, a criminal justice and psychology sophomore, said she was advised by an instructor of one of her classes to take the course. She hopes to eventually work for the FBI in their Missing and Exploited Children's Department, she said.
"I've already had an idea of what goes on; this just clarifies it for me," she said.
The simulated firearm course was the fourth session for Academy-goers, with previous classes simulating court proceedings and homicide cases — Dortch's favorite course yet.
Participants first read the ELPD's 11-page firearm policy — a long process, but the backbone for the department's weapon use, Hulliberger said.
"That's your bread and butter," he said. "You have to know it."
Throughout the next hour, Smith and Hulliberger displayed the assortment of weapons, all laid out on the table in the front of the room. Mace, Taser, handguns, shotguns and bean bags were shown and explained to participants and even handled by the students in some cases.
"It can be a tough sport," Hulliberger said. "That's why we have such an array of tools."
Each of the instructors said they've been shot with a Taser, and Smith said he was shot with Mace at least six times.
"The pepper dries your eyes out so rapidly, it just slams your eyes shut," he said. "You can open them with your fingers, but you can't open your eyes on their own."
He also said Mace affects breathing and causes an excess of snot to run through your body.
"If you have a cold, I guarantee you you'll be cleared out in seconds with this," he said, holding a bottle of Mace.
Despite some public opinion that police force can be too brutal, both Hulliberger and Smith said in most cases, police don't use as much force as they should when defending themselves.
"We're typically not born killers," Smith said, sighting some police officers' reluctance to shoot. "We didn't get into this business to take a life. We're here to save lives."
