New Citizen Police Academy Alumni group forming
This alumni group isn't about planning reunions and contacting classmates who have left the area. This alumni group has a different purpose. Its purpose is to keep you safe.
A group of graduates from Batavia's two citizen's Police Academy sessions have formed a new group, the Citizen Police Academy Alumni.
Under the leadership of Todd Schweigert, the group will assist the police department in a variety of different ways. The Batavia Citizen Police Academy was patterned after a successful program that Chief Gary Schira set up in Bloomingdale during his tenure there. It was the first citizens group of its kind in the state.
"It's important for the people of the community to know what the police can and cannot do and to remove any misconceptions," said Schira. "Better understanding leads to better relationships between the police and the community. Our ultimate goal is to work together to keep Batavia safe."
Although the Bloomingdale program was highly successful, the alumni association is new to Schira.
"We always talked about it," said Schira, " but instead we developed other segments of the police academy. We covered new topics for members and we set up an academy for seniors and for teens."
According to the chief, the seniors' group in Bloomingdale grew into a volunteer group that helped with many different tasks. "They would take a car to the mechanic for service, drive documents to the courthouse, do data entry, help in the photo lab. Some put in 40-hour weeks," he added.
Schira feels Batavia is a very special town, one that has a strong sense of community.
"The people here really care about the community and support the many events in town," he said. "You see the support in the schools, the plays, the sporting events."
Yet when it comes to keeping our community safe, sometimes we are hesitant to do anything. Often people don't want to get involved if there is an act of vandalism in their neighborhood. With a recent barrage of mailboxes being vandalized the need for neighborhood watch groups is more important than ever.
"People don't make the call to the police because they don't want to get involved, but they don't realize that they don't even have to give their name if they see someone committing a crime," said Shira.
People are busy, but they need to take the time to be more involved in their own neighborhoods. Neighborhood Watch Groups are the eyes and ears of the neighborhood. They are the vehicle that alerts the police of a dangerous situation or a potential threat to the community.
The Citizen Police Academy Alumni will promote neighborhood watch groups. They will also assist the police department in citywide events such as the Night Out Against Crime that takes place at the quarry Aug. 5.
They will promote neighborhood safety at the Windmill City Fest and have involvement in the upcoming fall term of the third citizen's Police Academy.
"I would hope that the citizens alumni group would also be a group that we could use for input in strategic planning," added the Chief. "If we are exploring a new idea it would be good to involve them as representatives of the community."
The responsibility of keeping our community safe lies not just with the police department but with each and everyone of us.
Call Tim Mair at the police department and offer to set up a neighborhood watch group in your neighborhood. Or, if you have the time to give one night a week, sign up for the fall class of the Citizen Police Academy. Get involved.