The Pell City Police Department’s DARE/School Resource Officer unit has had a busy summer preparing for the 2013/2014 school year.

Corporal Jessie Burgos attended the annual NASRO (National Association of School Resource Officers) / TASRO (The Alabama Association of School Resource Officers) conference from June 3-7, 2013.  Corporal Burgos received training, which awarded him the certification of National Advanced School Resource Officer.  Burgos also received training in Virtual Alabama, which is an advanced resource for school safety.  According to Burgos, “this was a great school and I came away with a lot of new ideas for the schools, especially regarding safety.  Another benefit was getting to know other School Resource Officers, which enables me to have a great network of people and resources,” said Burgos.  “I realized that being in the schools is one of the most important jobs in law enforcement.”

Corporal Burgos and Officer Justin Cooper attended DARE training, sponsored by the Tennessee Highway Patrol, from June 9-21, 2013. The DARE training class had students from eight states representing 17 different Law Enforcement Agencies.  

 

The DARE training course certified officers to teach DARE curriculum from kindergarten through the eighth grade.

 

“The DARE training was some of the best I’ve ever had and it will enable me to be a better teacher and mentor,” said Burgos.

Officers will focus on teaching DARE to the 5th and 6th graders at Williams Intermediate School this school year, but they will also be spending time with the younger grades as well.  Additionally, Burgos said, the SRO Unit will continue to take care of other SRO / police related duties throughout the school system.

Chief Greg Turley, who is a former certified DARE instructor, commends the DARE board of directors as well as the mayor and council for continuing to invest in the youth of our community.

 

He also praises their support of programs like DARE and SRO that provide the students with the skills necessary to make good decisions, negotiate conflicts and become productive citizens.