Now that my bro Jake is a sworn officer, I felt now would be the appropriate time to present a public service announcement.
Yes my friends, it’s time to learn the ten rules for dealing with the police. When dealing with the police, you used to be able to tell someone, "use common sense." But apparently people don’t have common sense, nor do they know/understand their rights. This is presented over a series of four videos totaling 30 minutes. If you don’t want to watch each and every video, here’s the overview:
I was rummaging through my closet the other day when I came across a box full of old Indiana State Police (ISP) stuff, including some old videos. Among those was an informational video that the department had put together to educate the public about what the ISP actually does.
I’m mostly posting this for nostalgic value, you’ll see an unmarked Ford Mustang, the old Chevrolet Caprices, and the old light bars that used to be on top of the cruisers.
For those of you who don’t know, I’ve been interested in law enforcement for quite a while. And the more I study criminal justice issues, the more I become fascinated with community policing. For those of you who don’t know, community policing is "a policing strategy and philosophy based on the notion that community interaction and support can help control crime and reduce fear, with community members helping to identify suspects, detain vandals and bring problems to the attention of police."
Some people don’t like the idea of community policing because they’ve been taught to mind their own business. But there comes a point where those people have to draw the line between minding their own business and standing up for the safety of the community. It’s my belief that people have a lot more power over crime than they realize, but they’ve been sucked into this lie that they should mind their own business.
This issue of community policing really hit home when I started going to Crossroads Bible College because it’s on a side of town that isn’t the greatest. Eastgate Mall sits abandoned right across the street from the college, down the street there’s a motel that’s been shut down by the city and fenced off, and there are houses in need of dire repair. But I started to really have an affection for the neighborhood when I started volunteering at Shepherd Community down the street, I really began to feel like I had some ownership in the community. When I did the Grace Staff Day of Service at Shepherd, I was able to see the community in which the Shepherd staff lived, how they were planting roots in the community and working to make their homes and community a better place.
I was in chapel the other day when our college president presented us with the "Faith-Based Covenant With the Community." It’s being done by the City of Peace Coalition and is between faith-based organizations and Marion County. I wanted to post it here on my blog so that you can see what some people are wanting to step up and do to help their communities. Maybe it will serve as an inspiration for you if you live in one of these communities or it may stir your heart to get involved with urban ministry. It’s a huge task, but with the community and police working together, we can make our neighborhood safer.
FAITH-BASED COVENANT WITH THE COMMUNITY
WE, as a faith community, enter into this covenant with the community at large to play our part in making Marion County safer;
WE reject deviant behavior that preys upon the young, the elderly, and defenseless in our community;
WE urge all people of goodwill, honesty, dignity, nobility, peace, hope, and love to stand with us as we refuse to accept this kind of behavior;
WE recognize that reducing crime in our community is a challenge that will require community, businesses, government, law enforcement, and all sectors of the faith community working in partnership;
WE call on our community to enter into covenant agreement with us in order to help us reduce violence in Marion County;
WE, as a faith community, will provide
Safe havens for youth.
Employ street outreach workers to directly interface with those involved or potentially involved in criminal behavior.
Organize and facilitate faith walks to continually remind our community that there is hope and alternatives to violence.
A connection to those in need of employment, resources, and social services.
WE call on Black Males and others to join us in this covenant by
Ending the senseless killing of one another.
Ending the phenomenon known as "deadbeat" dads.
Being responsible role models for their children.
Making a decision to be a positive on-going constructive presence in the lives of their children.
Working to eliminate the unlawful buying, selling, and use of firearms.
Putting an end to the glorification of gangster images.
Cease the unlawful buying, selling, and distribution of drugs in the community.
WE call on individuals in the neighborhoods to partner with us by
Getting to know your neighbors.
Joining, participate in and/or establishing crime/neighborhood watch teams.
Reporting crimes and criminal activity that take place in the neighborhood.
Join in the effort to eradicate abandoned homes, drug houses and dark streets.
WE call on parents and families to join us in this covenant by
Establishing a curfew for your children.
Making education a priority by encouraging children to stay in school.
Becoming aware of your child’s friends and activities.
Promoting and modeling abstinence and rejecting a culture of promiscuity; teen and unwed pregnancies.
Removing the images and glorification of gangster life in the household.
Tonight was our graduation from the Carmel Citizen’s Police Academy. As a class, we are so grateful for the Carmel Police Department who have been so gracious to us and have allowed us to be a part of their family (and we hope that continues!). Special thanks go out to Ann Gallagher, Patti McAllister, and Major Barlow. Thanks to Chief Fogarty, Assistant Chief Green, and all the divisions that taught us throughout these ten weeks.
Our graduation was a lot more than I had expected, mostly because I didn’t expect a graduation. Ha ha! We had a great dinner, gave out awards, and talked about what we liked about the class. It was a great wrap-up and was most definitely appreciated by all of us in the class.
It doesn’t end there though. Those who have taken this class before us have formed an alumni association, so we’ll be seeing each other again… not as often, but we’ll be seeing each other. I greatly enjoyed this time at Carmel PD and if you live in Carmel and are interested in taking the class, visit the Carmel Police web site. I know that other departments offer this too, so check your local department’s web site.
Well my friends, that’s all for now. Here’s our class picture, it was great getting to meet these great people!
Ahhh, week ten. We made it! I think that this week had to be one of my favorite weeks, just because it was more hands on. And when I look back on it, it feels like we just started yesterday!
Today we mostly talked about traffic stops and did “simulated traffic stops.” When you think about it, a traffic stop is typically the way most people encounter police officers. It’s also a good chance for the officer to find people doing things they shouldn’t: drugs, smuggling, driving without a license, etc.
Anyway, simulated traffic stops. We set up our little course behind the bank and paired up. We were told how to perform a traffic stop, what to look for, what we can/can’t do, etc. It was actually pretty fun having Ann (our leader) and the officer’s wife play the “bad guys.” We had a great time and instead of boring you with facts (which I find interesting, you may not), I am going to leave you with a couple of videos along with some photos. Enjoy!
UPDATE: Per department policy, I removed some of my pictures and video. Sorry!
