Danville Police Department’s newest officers recently completed the first part of their post-academy training by going through the department’s Community-based Leadership and Immersion Program.
Following events across our nation last year, Chief Scott Booth recognized the need to immerse new officers into the community. The program was designed and implemented in partnership with Dr. Joshua Hearne.
The program is four weeks long that takes place in between academy graduation and field training. The program allows officers to hear directly from community leaders about what matters most to them in their community. This creates familiarity between the officers and the citizens we serve and reminds us to treat each person as a human and not a problem.
The program culminates with a community leadership project. This class partnered with Danville Public Schools to create a Transition Stop that will provide a one-stop-shop for students and families in need of services and supplies such as clothing and hygiene products. Some students are chronically absent due to lack of access to basic life essentials. The officers hoped to remove some of these barriers to learning by partnering with schools to discreetly assist these students and families.
Like most of our success stories, this one did not happen all on our own. This idea was made possible by local businesses through generous donations of money and supplies. These businesses include:
- Comfort Inn
- Danville Toyota
- Galileo Beta Club
- Sam’s Club
- Target
- Walmart
- Lou’s Barber Shop
- American Legion Post 1097
- Tarheel Tobacco
- Spencer’s Dental Office
- Grifols Plasma Center
With this idea and these partnerships, our newest officers have already created a lasting positive impact on the community.