Page 29 - Scene Magazine 41-04 April 2016

Local Interest
Battle Creek Police Department Building Community Relationships
By KAthy SChLEy
The Battle Creek Police Department recognizes the disconnect between com- munities and police departments na- tion-wide, all which have been highly pub- licized in the past few years. In an effort to build better community relationships locally, the Battle Creek Police Depart- ment has committed to several conscious shifts in the way we serve our community. Three of these are; staring a Police Explor- ers Chapter with 20 young students 8-12 grade; adding another officer to the pub- lic schools and by encouraging officers to become more involved with community functions.
Recently, witnessed by hundreds of our community youth, Officer’s were given the choice after being invited to dance the Ney-Ney at a recent community youth fo- rum-and they did! They were fabulous! The officers volunteered, truly volunteered, to be involved in a dance competition against area middle and high school students at the Kellogg Auditorium. For those interested, a video of our officer’s dance moves can be located on the Battle Creek Police Depart- ment’s Facebook page. This is only one example of the Battle Creek Police De- partment connecting with the community youth we serve.
The second part of that shift has also been attained, the Battle Creek Police De- partment has partnered with Battle Creek Public Schools in an effort to enhance our community policing by having an addition- al officer assigned to the schools. Starting the 2016/2017 school year an officer will be assigned to teach the T.E.A.M (Teach- ing, Education, and Mentoring) model to the nine elementary schools, within the Battle Creek Public School district for three years.
T.E.A.M is an innovative program developed by the Michigan State Police Department (MSP). The TEACHING, EDuCATING, AND MENTORING (T.E.A.M.) SCHOOl lIAISON PRO- GRAM is a school-based, “law related” curriculum, taught by T.E.A.M. trained police officers. Officers receive a 40-hour training program that introduces them to over 30 lesson plans they are able to present in their communities. The new- est T.E.A.M. curriculum lesson plan introduces students to the importance of “Homeland Security” and their role in “Family Preparedness.” In addition to learning the curriculum, officers receive
training from content experts in student and juvenile psychology, classroom man- agement, bullying and harassment, and school security issues. This instruction- al program allows for more flexibility in teaching the students than other tradition- al programs.
Having this officer present in the school buildings allows the students and teachers an opportunity to interact with an officer on a regular basis. The officer will be as- signed to a different elementary school on a rotating schedule and working during school hours. This gives us the opportuni- ty to address issues if and when they arise and educate the youngest citizens within our community.
The Police Explorer is a national pro- gram sponsored by Boy Scouts of Ameri- ca under Learning for Life initiative. The program is for youth ages 14-20. The training and exposure is comprised of the History of Law Enforcement, Patrol Procedures, Criminal Law, Juvenile Law, Crowd Control, Traffic Stops, Basic Re- port Writing, Crime Scene Investigations
and processing, Forensics, Criminology, and woven throughout the training is a discussion on ethics and character. There are many activities planned throughout the program. Department tours, Local, County and State, and many hands-on training exercises culminating in a sum- mer camp, basic and advance. The end state of the Explorer program is to pro- vide a pathway for youth to be exposed to the many career paths in the criminal justice system, and to develop a working knowledge of how the system impacts our society as a reflection of our community norms and values.
We believe relationship building with the elementary students will help to culti- vate a positive relationship with our future adult residents and help our department reinforce our Battle Creek Police Depart- ment’s operating principles:
• Values driven organization
• Be a catalyst for change
• Be legitimate to those we serve • Be a learning Organization
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