Goals of the Beaumont Police Department Cops & Kids Youth Outreach Programs are to:
BEAUMONT POLICE
DEPARTMENT
COPS & KIDS PROGRAMS
“Unfortunately, far too many children are involved with police only when things go terribly wrong in the world around them…their parents are in trouble, their friends are in trouble, or they are in trouble. I’m so proud of our Cops & Kids programs because they give children a chance to see cops at work in friendly and unthreatening environments. We want children to know that a police officer is their friend and protector.”
- Be proactive in cultivating positive relationships to shape Beaumont’s future
- Build trust between Beaumont’s youth and its Police Officers
- Educate children about personal safety and crime prevention
- Promote leadership, ethics and civic duty
- Encourage youth to consider law enforcement as a profession
- Build partnerships with other community organizations serving youth
Bicycle Safety Campaign & Youth Bicycle Safety Rodeo
– Beaumont Police Chief James Singletary
Rodeo: May 4, 2013
Beaumont Event Center
The BPD Youth Bicycle Safety rodeo is the feature event of a comprehensive bicycle safety outreach project. The mission of this effort is to advance bicycle safety education and create a safer roadway for our citizens. The campaign includes a variety of approaches to educate vehicle drivers, bicycle riders and pedestrians about sharing the roads safely. The Bicycle Rodeo is free, open to the public and targets bicycle riders age 5-18 and their parents.
Number of participants annually: The entire community benefits from the media education campaign. The rodeo will draw 300 registrants.
Teen Collision Avoidance Driving Class
June 7-8, 2013 – Ford Park
The Teen Collision Avoidance Driving Class is a hands-on tactical defensive driving school designed specifically for teen drivers. The course includes 4 classroom hours of instruction and 8 hours behind the wheel. The class focuses on important driver safety and issues such as distracted driving, roadway hazards, collision avoidance and maintaining vehicle control. Taking this course may save a young person’s life. A $100 registration fee is charged to participants to off-set costs, however, stipends could be offered to students if resources allowed.
Number of participants annually: 20
YALE Academy (Youth and Law Enforcement Academy)
June 10-21, 2013
Beaumont Police Department Training Facility
The Youth and Law Enforcement Academy is a free two-week summer program offered to Beaumont area high school male and female students in 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. The course targets students who may already be interested in law enforcement, criminal science, or military as a career, or for students who simply like a challenge. Students learn all aspects of law enforcement, including physical fitness, gun safety and defensive driving tactics.
Number of participants annually: 30 Beaumont Police Department – Cops & Kids Programming 2
Cops & Kids Carnival
Saturday, September 15, 2013
Beaumont Civic Center
The Cops & Kids Carnival is a citywide personal safety and crime prevention youth activity. This event is free and open to the public. Food, drinks, amusements, entertainment, games and safety information booths are part of the backdrop of this outreach project for children. Uniformed law enforcement officers participate in all aspects of the carnival. Specialized police tactical units, such as K9 and SWAT, are on display and officers are available to engage with children and their parents about a variety of issues – safety, crime prevention, and police work as a career choice. The carnival offers children a chance to interact with officers in a fun, stress-free environment that improves trust and builds better relationships between cops and kids.
Number of participants annually: 2000-3000
Trunk or Treat & Haunted Jail
October 31, 2013
Beaumont Police Department Headquarters
This safe Halloween alternative for families is hosted at the Beaumont Police Department and features a haunted jail inside of the police station. Specialized police tactical units, such as K9 and SWAT, are on display outside of the building and officers are available to engage children and their parents about a variety of issues – safety, crime prevention, and police work as a career choice. This event is free and open to the public. It provides a great opportunity for children and adults alike to visit the police station and come to know their Police Department.
Number of participants annually: 1200-1500
Santa in Blue
Gift Deliveries: December 12, 2013
Santa in Blue is a holiday gift project targeting needy children and families. During the course of duty police officers identify families that need assistance to provide gifts for the families’ children during the holiday season. The project also partners with area students who volunteer community service time to help buy and wrap presents, which gives them a chance to exercise leadership and civic duty. When all toys are purchased and wrapped, a day is designated for police officers to deliver gifts throughout the community.
Number of participants annually: 60 families (140 children) & 200 area students
Police School Reading Project
School Year 2012-2013
The BPD School Reading Project is a literacy project aimed at school children in kindergarten thru second grade. The school reading project promotes a love of reading combined with personal safety information for children. Each week police officers visit local schools and read with young students. This interaction not only improves reading readiness for students, but also instills a sense of trust in police officers and improves kids’ safety.
Number of participants annually: 2100
Beaumont Police Explorer Program – Post 730
Fiscal year 2012-2013
A scouting project for children age 14-20 designed to instill leadership, ethics and civic duty in young men and women. The project provides opportunities for police training to encourage future law enforcement careers. The Explorer Post competes in state and regional conferences and, when resources allow, the National Law Enforcement Explorer conference presented by the Boy Scouts of America and Federal Law Enforcement Agencies.
Number of participants annually: 20