Helping Our Youth Understand Law Enforcement. An Argument For Community Policing.
/By: Michael D. Boll
After retirement, I really had no interest in continuing a career in law enforcement. For the first time in my life, I took some time off and began focusing the majority of my time on building up the New Jersey Veterans Network and its racing team, The Operation Rebound Racing Team. Unfortunately, I needed to pay off bills and began to look for a new career. I sent out my resume and started going on some really boring job interviews. At first, there really weren’t too many opportunities that I wanted to pursue as a second career. Since I always wanted to work in a school and loved coaching sports, I decided to accept a job as a school resource officer at Mendham High School.
Almost immediately I was able to work with both the Mendham Borough Police Department and the school administration with implementing a school-based community policing program. Our community policing programs, along with a series of town-wide events, immediately became successful because of the collaboration between the police department and the school administration.
Since starting this partnership, the NJVN has been able to work with administration, staff, and students in various classes and events. We started by teaching classes on New Jersey Criminal Law, including the topics “How to act properly during a motor vehicle stop,” DWI/DUI, and “What it’s like to be a police officer/veteran.” Things didn’t stop there. We hosted a “Feed the Hero” veterans’ ceremony and dinner, participated in the Relay for Life, established a “Veterans’ Day of Beauty” for disabled female veterans, and recently hosted a “9-11 Ceremony and Ruck March.” The ruck march was a huge success, involving over 500 student participants. At this event, we honored and paid tribute to our fallen first responders and those civilians we lost on that tragic day.
Unfortunately, COVID-19 and all the recent social change protests have really made things difficult for our community policing programs, but we are determined to develop safe and appropriate programs despite the challenges put before us. During the summer we met with stakeholders and began troubleshooting ideas. Looking ahead, we decided to work alongside students to pool resources and gain better perspectives from all sides of these issues.
Even during these harsh and difficult times, it’s amazing seeing our youth come together and want to make real positive changes. Mendham High School has always supported our efforts and has shown nothing but great respect for our first responders and military. This year we are planning on having “real talk” discussions with speakers from all different walks of life. These speaking events are extremely important in helping to educate young people about issues of diversity and inclusion and crucial for building a strong bridge between law enforcement and the student body.
Even though the student body of Mendham High School is not very diverse, they make huge efforts to learn things from different cultures and religions. Exposing students to different beliefs and the implementation of programs that reflect a diverse curriculum will have a huge impact on their future. In today’s climate, these efforts are necessary for people to develop a greater sense of empathy and build a better understanding of one another.
I am fortunate to be able to play a role in the school’s community policing program and I am glad to see the positive results that have come from this partnership. As a police officer, I see both the negative and positive changes that are upon us as a community and as a nation. Some things we have no control over, but one thing that I do know is, helping our youth understand law enforcement in a positive light will certainly carry over and affect positive outcomes for their future. Community policing is one of the most powerful tools for law enforcement, and using it to teach our youth will be extremely effective in building a bridge between law enforcement and our younger generation.
Help us save Vets!
Michael D. Boll
NJVN President
