Newton Police Department continues to find new ways to interact, engage with community

If you’ve seen a police procedural drama on television and thought to yourself, “I know what the Police Department does now,” think again.

Today, law enforcement officers play a multi-faceted role in the community, and aren’t necessarily acting as our local crime-fighters alone. They provide a wide array of services to the public, and also reach out to the public in many ways.

That connection to the public is important in the Newton Police Department’s community policing efforts. Community policing uses partnerships and problem-solving techniques to proactively address public safety issues.

One of the most well-known of Newton’s community policing strategies is the Citizen Police Academy, which provides educational opportunities for citizens to learn first hand about police operations and to gain a deeper understanding of today’s law enforcement functions. The 12-week program covers different areas within the Police Department’s operations.

These include:

• crime prevention,

• narcotic enforcement,

• patrol duties, and

• special units of the police department.

“One of the great things about that program is that citizens who participate get hands-on training in many different aspects of investigations and law enforcement,” Lt. Wes Breckenridge said. Some of that training involves simulations of traffic stops, domestic situations and building searches.

To date, 16 Citizen Police Academy sessions have been completed, with 242 graduates. Many of them have since gone on to become members of another aspect of the Newton Police Department’s community policing strategy, the Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association.

“The Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association exists to assist the Newton Police Department with its overall mission,” according to the Newton Police Department’s description. “The Alumni Association supports the Police Department by volunteering and fostering the belief that the preservation of public welfare is the duty of every citizen. As a citizens group, the Alumni Association offers a helping hand to the Newton community to improve the quality of life by developing and coordinating various projects that are meaningful and rewarding experiences for our community.”

The Alumni Association was created in the late-1990s for the express purpose to provide assistance to the Police Department. Members receive ongoing education in both law enforcement and community concerns. They usually meet twice a year.

“Another important part of our outreach into the community is Brian Foster, our school resource officer,” Breckenridge said. “He works with administrators, staff and students, who give him information about ongoing issues, so he can address them.”

Newton’s SRO program began in 1994, but was briefly discontinued during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 school years due to budget constraints. Foster has been the Newton SRO since February of 2013.

The SRO’s primary function is to intervene on behalf of Newton Community School District students. An office is maintained at Newton Senior High School, which affords open access for students.

Another way the Police Department reaches out to the youth in the community is through its annual Summer Youth Police Academy. Its goal is to promote youth interest in law enforcement as a career, and also to provide young people in the community with a better understanding of law enforcement activity.

The program was launched in 1997, and over the past 16 years, more than 150 youth have graduated. Their training includes a tour of the Police Department facility, as well as training on crime scene identification, fingerprinting and evidence handling.

Safety City is another program focused on reaching out to the community’s youth. Each year, kindergarten students gather at Aurora Heights Park for basic traffic safety training.

“We set up a mock city and teach them how to cross the street,” Breckenridge said. “The kids get to ride their big wheels and learn at the same time, so it’s a lot of fun for them.”

Safety City is a miniature city, complete with streets, crosswalks, stop signs and traffic signals that allow students to experience different traffic situations in a safe environment. The program teaches kindergartners three key words — Stop, Look, and Listen — as well as other safety tips.

Newton Senior High School students serve as helpers. Each student is presented a junior police badge from McGruff the Crime Dog and receives a certificate of completion.

“We also take part in bike rodeos upon request,” Breckenridge said. “We go over bike safety, and sometimes, with help from local organizations, we can give out helmets to the kids. The goal is to reduce injuries and accidents.”

Another way the Newton Police Department encourages safety is through its car seat inspection program. The department has two National Child Passenger Safety Technicians who can assist parents with car seat installation; they are available by appointment by calling (641) 791-0850.

“We also offer the vacation watch program,” Breckenridge said. “That’s something you can sign up for at the Police Station.”

For those who plan to be out of town for a prolonged period of time, the Newton Police Department will perform regular checks while they are away. The online sign-up form is also available on the Police Department pages on the city government website, www.newtongov.org.

As with many other professions, technology has made significant changes to the way the Newton Police Department is able to reach out to the community. Social media, in particular, is one way the department is hoping to build new lines of communication, further fortifying its community policing efforts.

“We’re much more proactive with social media now, Facebook in particular,” Breckenridge said. “The School Resource Officer and Newton Police Department both have Facebook pages now as a means to keep the public informed, and to allow them to inform us about information they may have that will help us do our jobs better.”

Daily News Editor Bob Eschliman may be contacted at (641) 792-3121, ext. 423, or at beschliman@newtondailynews.com.