Operation: Outreach 2010
Operation: Outreach, also known as the Clergy/Police Ride-a-Long Program was developed to provide Community Support to the cities' youth, specifically ages 9-17. The Mission of Operation: Outreach is to assist in the emotional and social well being of “At-Risk” Youth, [Pre-Teens (9-12) and Teens (13-17)]. This is accomplished by meeting with the youth, and their parents, in the comfort of their own homes, in the early evening hours. The purpose of these visits is to provide support alternatives to the youth and/or their parents and give the family an opportunity to talk with both Clergy and the Police, in a setting conducive to all. Click on the Page below to read the Program Overview! To Join the Program: CLICK HERE!
The Ride-a-Long "Pilot" Program officially began April 7, 2009 with Father Lenny Nelson and Officer Steve Turner visiting a family with a Pre-teen in Crisis. Each week, one of the Community Chaplains ride on patrol with a Community Police Officer, for a couple hours, visiting families and talking with youth in various parts of the city. The program focused on helping "At-Risk" Youth and was a collaboration between the Taunton School District, the Taunton Police Department and the New England Association of Community Chaplains. A number of Civic and State Agencies had also come aboard including: Health & Human Services, DCF, AHS, United Way, Boys & Girls Club, YMCA & Others. We've also gained support from several City Committees such as the Strategic Neighbor Initiative (SNI), Voices Against Violence (SEMA-VAV, and many others.
The Pilot program was a success!! It let the youth of the community, as well as their families & friends know that the Police and Churches in the city ARE there for there to help them. We even began receiving calls directly from Parents and Grandparents, asking that we come visit their own children. The Pilot program ended in December 2009 with plans to roll out the full program in Q1, 2010. Although several Privacy issues came to light, which put the program on hold, they were eventually resolved.
UPDATE: The Program Officially went live on January 25, 2011 with (2) Ministers and (2) Community Police Officers but has grown to (4) Ministers and (6) Community Police Officers as of March 1st. During each month, various Chaplains, from around the city, will team with Community Police Officers (CPOs) to visit the homes of children (and their families) who are having difficulties in and out of school. By talking with the Youth and the families, we can provide services available to them, not only from the City, but also from the area Churches. The hope is that we will be able to Improve the Quality of life for these kids, help reduce the level of violence in the city and keep Gang proliferation to a minimum.
Outreach Pamphlet
Below is the Community Outreach Pamphlet that we give to each family we visit. It contains information about a number of services available around the city the children and family can take advantage of.
Taunton Community Policing
Below is a listing of the Taunton Community Police Officers and the areas they serve.
The Anonymous Tip Line is also
listed. To visit the new Taunton Police Department Official Webpage, just click
this link:
Taunton PD.
Just click on the pages below to expand and print them.
Gang Intelligence Task Force
The development of the Silver City Teen Center and the implementation of Operation: Outreach are designed to provide help for the Cities' "At-Rick" youth. With the proliferation of Gang Activity in Taunton, one of our most important functions is to keep the youth away from Gangs. But to do that, we have to be able to identify gang members, which can sometimes be done by observation alone. Below are (4) files containing information on recognizing Gang markings, tatoos and jesters. Courtesy of the New Bedford PD!
If there are any Area Clergy or Churches who would like to join the program or other agencies who would like to assist in this program or help provide funding, please contact me.
Additionally, if you are aware of any of the Cities' Youth, in need of Assistance or Intervention, Please contact me or Sgt. Kevin Medas of the Taunton Police Department. ***** All referrals will be kept STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL *****
We welcome any comments or suggestions anyone may have on how to improve the program.
Please send all emails to: unusdeus@verizon.net