Sometimes you get a glimpse into a separate subculture that shows you how incredibly removed from the ordinary person’s experience its members are; for example, this new course being offered by the St. Louis County and Municipal Police Academy in the aftermath of the Michael Brown shooting, which promises to teach officers how to handle the media in situations like that, with topics like “Meet the 900-Pound Gorilla,” and “Feeding the Animals.”

This is not a parody, folks. Here’s the PDF: Mediashoot.pdf.

OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTING — YOU CAN WIN WITH THE MEDIA

The shooting death of a black teenager by a white police officer on August 9th in Ferguson, Missouri and the events that followed were tragic. In addition to the Ferguson case study, this fast-paced class is jam-packed with the essential strategies and tactics, skills and techniques that will help you WIN WITH THE MEDIA! It is practical training, not theoretical: Take what you learn and put it to work for you on the street right away! The training is also highly entertaining: numerous video clips illustrate key points, and there is NO PowerPoint! You will learn a lot, and you’ll have fun doing it! In addition to the detailed case study of Ferguson (including numerous practical tips for handling the media in an officer-involved shooting) topics will include:

• Meet the 900-Pound Gorilla
• DWI and the Media
• Feeding the Animals
• "No comment" is a comment
• Don't Get Stuck on Stupid!
• Managing Media Assault and Battery
• Managing the Media When Things Get Ugly (think Ferguson)
• Managing the Media in a Crisis (including lessons learned from the Newtown, CT school shooting.)

(h/t: @ShaunKing.)

In case the document suddenly disappears, here’s a screenshot: