The Daily Southerner, Tarboro, NC

Local News

July 20, 2012

Williams starting PAL program

CORRESPONDENT Van Holland

TARBORO — Tarboro Police Chief Damon Williams has a number ideas in mind to try and keep the youth in Tarboro from joining gangs and selling drugs and is ready to kick off the first one — forming Police Athletics/Activities Leagues (PAL) in town.

PAL is a youth crime prevention program that utilizes educational, athletic and recreational activities to create trust and understanding between police officers and youth. The program is based on conviction that young people — that if they are reached early enough — can develop strong positive attitudes towards police officers in their journey through life toward the goal of maturity and good citizenship.

The program brings youth under the supervision and positive influence of a law enforcement agency and expands public awareness about the role of a police officer. The reinforcement of the responsible values and attitudes instilled in young people by their parents.

"We are going to engage the youth and the police department in partnership," Williams said. "I want the youth of this community to feel safe around the police and feel free to talk to the officers about anything."

Williams has put Cpl. Ricky Dozier and Sgt. Al Braxton in charge of coordinating the program. They will be very involved with the youth in the area.

Williams is hoping this program will give the youth a chance to know the officers outside of their uniforms and engage them in some positive activity. He is hoping the officers can become a positive and different role model for the youth in the community to keep them from joining gangs and getting involved on the streets with miscreants.

Another effect Williams is looking for is for youths to get them to know what the police are about so when they get up in age, they may want to become police officers and give back to the community.

"The main thing is the trust between the officers and the youth," Williams said. "If the youth can trust the police, then we can break down the wall between us and them. The snitch — stop snitching wall that most youth have built around them. We want the youth to feel comfortable around the officers and be able to trust them."

The program will also generate the youth in believing in the police to help them solve personal problems, so they don't retaliate on the their own and try to handle certain situations.

Williams is going to put some mentoring and tutoring programs into the effort once it is up and running.

Williams has assigned Dozier to be in charge of crime prevention and will be working with the elementary and middle schools during the school year to get the police more involved in the lives of students.

"Dozier will provide a constant sight and have interaction throughout those schools during the school year dealing with the students there," Williams said. "He will be there to provide first-hand information to the students about the program and what we will be providing."

Williams is in the process of getting the department chartered through the national PAL organization. The program will cost the department $400 annually.

While in Maxton, Williams said he could see a change in the gang problems for the better once he got this program up and running in that community.

"It kept the thug on the corner from being the youth's role model because we were doing it," Williams said. "They used the opportunity we gave them to let the police be the one they could turn too and not the thug."

In medium to long term goals, Williams said he is hoping to establish an Explorer program through the police department. He said he is hoping that since there are a lot of youth in the community who don't know what they want to do in life, that the police can provide them with knowledge about criminal justice and how many careers there are within the criminal justice system.

"Hopefully we can get the younger kids to look up to the older kids and say hey they get to wear uniforms like the police," Williams said. "Especially when they see the older kids riding with the officers, then that will give them something to look forward to, as well."

Williams has set up a new website for the police department so the community can see what the department is doing for the community and it can also keep everyone up to date on what's happening around town with the police.

The website has press releases from the chief and other information about the officers in the department. You can visit the website at www.tarboropolice.com. Williams has also set up a Facebook page for the department.

He is hoping that by making information available through social networks, that people will take advantage and keep up with what is happening in town and with the department.



 

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