As stated in our Vision Statement, the Department is striving to make public education an important part of our service to the community.  This is done through several different programs.

Probably our most involved public education program is through our school liaison officer position.  Since 1998, the Department has placed an Officer within the Ionia school system in the role of a school liaison officer.  This position is totally funded by our Department.

Officer Randy Woodbury is T.E.A.M. trained (Teaching, Educating and Mentoring) and in his second year as the school liaison officer.  He maintains an office at the Ionia High School where he patrols the hallways and parking lots, and he offers presentations in the classroom from time to time.  Officer Woodbury's duties also include responding to the Ionia Middle School and local elementary schools for police related matters, and he teaches the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program in the local elementary schools as well.

Several of our personnel become involved with public education throughout the year through many different programs.  Officers give fire safety presentations in the elementary schools each year as part of Nation Fire Safety Week, they attend summer Day Camps sponsored by the city's Recreation Department, they offer safety presentations to the community's senior population and they give several tours of the department to pre-school and school aged children.  Our Department also has both a high school and a college intern program, and we host an annual "Camp With A Cop" program each year.

 04/10/2006