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Citizens Police Academy graduation
Well, it’s been a couple of weeks since my last report on the Citizens Police Academy. We have covered a variety of topics each one more interesting than the previous.
April 5th was: Introduction to Academy (Chief Crain, Lt. Bastow) and Patrol procedure (Officer Champion).
April 12th: We toured the Vernon County Jail/ 911 Center (Sheriff Mosher).
April 19th: All of us enjoyed the Interactive Traffic Stop Scenarios (Cpl Hansen, Lt. Bastow).
April 26th: Criminal Law, Court Procedure (Lynn Ewing) and Animal Control (Ben Douglas).
May 10th: Crime scene interactive course and fingerprinting (Det. Barclay).
May 17th: Traffic Enforcement/DWI (MSHP Cpl. Jim Wilde) and Drug Recognition (P.O. Keithly).
May 24th: CIT/ Neighborhood Watch (C.O.P.P.S. Officer Champion) and Graduation (Chief Crain, Capt Dye, Lt Bastow).
On May 17, Cpl. Jim Wilde of the Highway Patrol taught the class what to watch for in a DWI.
He told us of the indications they observe before pulling a driver over for a DWI as well as the different tests that can be done and which ones are the most effective.
Also how they can tell if it is alcohol or drugs or if a person is ill and on medications.
Officer Keithly spoke to us on drug recognition and the bizarre methods and substances used by addicts of all walks of life and all ages.
We were given once again all the time we needed to ask questions and comment on the drug problems in Vernon County and what is being done to alleviate the problem.
We also learned the long-term effects of different types of substances on the body and mind.
It is surprising what you can find out if you just take the time to get involved with the police and ask the questions everyone wants the answers to.
CIT - Crisis Intervention Team. A program model for community policing that brings together law enforcement, mental health providers, hospital emergency departments and individuals with mental illness and their families to improve responses to people in crisis. This is to help the person and not incarcerate a person with a medical or mental illness. Currently, officers have to go to Joplin or other out of town facilities for this training. CIT training teaches verbal de-escalation skills, officer safety, vocal and body language recognition skills, scenario training, and much more.
The CIT training information was very up-to-date and thorough because Lt. Bastow and Officer Champion had just finished the course. This training provides officers with 40 hours of intensive training including learning from mental health professionals and experienced officers in your community.
• Problem-solving and support in challenging situations.
• Personal interaction with people who have experienced and recovered from a mental crisis and their family members.
• Scenario-based training on responding to crises.
• A National CIT training curriculum model was developed through a partnership between National Alliance on Mental Illness, the University of Memphis CIT Center, CIT International and the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
• How to keep persons with mental illness out of jail and get them into treatment and recovery.
• It improves officer safety as well as cutting down on the time spent on mental disturbance calls.
• It also saves public money. Pre-booking jail diversion programs, like CIT, reduce the number of re-arrests of people with mental illness by a staggering 58 percent. Housing an inmate with mental illness in jail costs $31,000 per year, while community-based mental health treatment costs only $10,000 per year.
The goal is for all Nevada officers to be trained in CIT and for Nevada to then have it’s own training here.
A neighborhood watch, also called a crime watch, is an organized group of civilians devoted to crime and vandalism prevention within a neighborhood.
Members meet their neighbors; learn how to make their homes more secure, watch out for each other and the neighborhood, and report activity that raises their suspicions to the police or sheriff’s office.
The National Sheriff’s Association created the National Neighborhood Watch Program in 1972, to assist citizens and law enforcement.
It was created in response to the rape and murder of Kitty Genovese in Queens, New York. People became outraged after reports that a dozen witnesses did nothing to save her or to apprehend her killer. Law enforcement agencies began pushing for community members to get more involved with reporting crimes at the local level.
Why Neighborhood Watch? It works! Throughout the country, dramatic decreases in burglary and related offenses are reported by law enforcement professionals in communities with active Watch Programs
Today’s transient society produces communities that are less personal. Many families have two working parents and children involved in many activities that keep them away from home. An empty house in a neighborhood where none of the neighbors know the owner is a primary target for burglary.
Neighborhood Watch also helps build pride and serves as a springboard for efforts that address other community concerns such as recreation for youth, child care, and affordable housing.
Starting a Neighborhood Watch in your own neighborhood is easier than you might think.
• A motivated individual
• A small planning committee
• Contact local authorities for help in training members in home security and reporting
• Hold an initial meeting and set bi-monthly, monthly or six times a year
• Select a coordinator and block captain volunteers (this works in apartment complexes as well)
• Select members to keep records as residents move in or out of the neighborhood
• Use Neighborhood Watch signs after 50 of residents are involved
• Communication is the most important aspect of any watch program. i.e. Flyers, phone lists, emails, texts, etc.
• Some neighborhoods form community service groups to talk about crime watch in schools, have community picnics or dinners, ball games, adopt a park to clean or paint equipment.
• Another idea was to have block parents. Residents who are at home when children come home to an empty house. A safe place to check in if parents are detained for any reason.
• We learned what kind of activities we should be on the lookout for as a watch member, how to report these incidents and what information to have for a 911 call
I would like to thank all the officers that took their time to teach us and inform us as to the workings and safety concerns of the police force in Nevada/Vernon County. We all enjoyed it and had fun getting to know you on a more personal level.
I would also like to congratulate the following graduates of this year’s Citizens Police Academy.
Monica L. Miller
Sandra J. Mullin
Reyna I. Blakely
Natasha M. Greer
Connie S. Chambers
Roy T. Shotts Sr.
Carol M. Shotts
Carol Clyde
Leanna R. Anderson
Cynda Robertson
I have enjoyed sharing my learning experience with the citizens of Nevada/Vernon County and hope that more sign up for future classes.