KNOXVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT (KPD)

KPD Home Chief's Office Criminal Investigations Management Division Patrol Division Support Services Chaplain Corps Citizen's Police Academy Citizen's Services (PARC) Crime Stats Records & Reports Safety City Safety Education Student Police Academy Training Unit | Training Calendar Volunteers in Police Service Youth Academy SAFETY EDUCATION UNIT Sgt. Mike McCarter 865-215-8633 mmccarter@cityofknoxville.org The Safety Education Unit of the Knoxville Police Department is dedicated to fostering a police-community partnership by taking a leadership role in the development, management and delivery of innovative, progressive, and effective crime prevention programs. SAFETY EDUCATION UNIT PROGRAMS LifeSkills Training© The Safety Education Unit introduced LifeSkills Training© to Knox County schools beginning with the 2007-08 school year. LifeSkills Training (LST) is offered to middle school students in the City of Knoxville. LST replaced Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) formerly taught to fifth grade students. The research-based program includes ATOD (alcohol, tobacco, and other drug) prevention and peer pressure resistance but the comprehensive curriculum also includes sessions on self-image and self-improvement, decision making, advertising, media violence, coping with anxiety and anger, conflict resolution, and so on. LST is interactive and the instructor is more a facilitator than a lecturer. The White House Office of Drug Policy, US Department of Education, American Medical Association, American Psychological Association, National Centers for Disease Control, and US Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention endorse LST for preventative excellence. Neighborhood Watch Neighborhood Watch Programs are a critical component of community policing and are one of the most effective and least costly responses to crime. They encourage people to take ownership of their neighborhoods and empower them to reduce crime through partnerships with their neighbors and police. Other Prevention and Safety Programs Other Safety Education Unit programs include Personal Safety programs, Child Safety, NRA’s Eddie Eagle Gun Safety Program for children, Residential and Business Security Surveys, Fraud and Identity Theft awareness, Senior Citizen Programs and Traffic Safety. The Boggle Your Mind with Goggles Project is directed toward teens and adults. It is an interactive demonstration explaining the effects of alcohol and impairment especially as they pertain to driving. Participants wear the "Fatal Vision" simulator goggles for a better understanding of alcohol's impairing effects in a variety of situations. The Boys & Girls Club Liaison Officer is assigned to the Boys & Girls Clubs in Knoxville. The officer serves as a mentor, coordinates sports and other activities, and is responsible for instructing teens on a variety of topics from abstinence to leadership. For more information the above programs, please call the Safety Education Unit at 215-8633. Volunteer Program The Volunteer Program is intended to assist the department in the delivery of services to the community and in achieving departmental goals. This is accomplished by creating a partnership with citizen volunteers willing to assist the Knoxville Police Department in achieving the goals of the organization. The Volunteers In Police Services Unit has grown tremendously thanks to the dedicated and caring citizen volunteers who give of their time and effort to assist their police department and community. Volunteers assist in areas such as Volunteer Coordinator Assistant, Organized Crime Unit, Training Unit, Citizen Police Academy, Crime Analysis Unit, Safety Education Unit, Safety City, Major Crimes Unit, Property Crimes Unit, Criminalistics Unit, and many departmental and community activities. For more information, please contact the Volunteer Coordinator, Officer Michele Goldsberry at 215-8620. Safety City Safety City is a community service project to educate second grade students in pedestrian, bicycle, passenger and fire safety, as well as how to use E-9-1-1 properly. It is sponsored by the entire community, including government, private businesses and industry, and civic organizations. Area businesses and organizations furnish different portions of the project with either monetary or in-kind services and materials. More Info on Safety City Child Safety Seat Checkpoint The Safety Education Unit provides several Occupant Protection Programs to the public. The Knoxville Police Department has personnel whom have completed the 32-hour Child Passenger Safety Technician Standardized Training. The Safety Education Unit provides several Occupant Protection Programs to the public. The Knoxville Police Department has personnel whom have completed the 32-hour Child Passenger Safety Technician Standardized Training. The police department hosts a Child Safety Seat Checkpoint on the second Saturday of each month at 917 E. Fifth Avenue. More Info on Child Safety Seat Checkpoints School Resource Officer (SRO) Program The School Resource Officer (SRO) Program is a comprehensive research-based strategy to help deter and prevent school violence. The School Resource Officers are uniformed police officers assigned to five area high schools and seven middle schools within the City of Knoxville to work in partnership with the school personnel and students on a daily basis to provide a safe learning environment. They also participate in the department's Youth Programs, Youth Councils and Youth Academy. More Info on School Resource Officer Program