By Christian Warren Freed
Living in one of the (statistically) lowest crime towns in North Carolina has its advantages. We are often secluded from foul deeds, tending to forget it’s not a particularly nice world out there. I spent a week in Louisville last month and there were sirens every five minutes, culminating with a police K-9 being killed in the line of duty. Yes indeed, living in Holly Springs is downright nice. But that doesn’t mean we have the luxury of complacency.
Last year, Holly Springs Chief of Police Paul Liquorie decided the time had come to be proactive. With rising violence sweeping the nation, social unrest, and a general misunderstanding in what the police department is supposed to be, the Chief sent out the call to bridge the gap between citizen and officer with the inaugural Police-Community Advisory Group. Working hand in hand with the Town Manager, Chief Liquorie had his staff develop a comprehensive program to run volunteers through a crash course in general policing. Now you might not have seen it, or even heard of it. That’s fair. I hadn’t either. Turns out those monthly town bulletins in the water bill have some pretty good information in them.
Over one hundred people did hear about it and immediately submitted their applications. Not too shabby for the first run of anything. Out of those hundred, ten were selected to attend a mini-police academy and, should they pass, go on to serve as our initial Advisory Group. Final applicants were selected from all walks of life, representing residents as widespread across the town as possible. Not only does this ensure an active presence throughout Holly Springs, it provides a listening board for all of us in the event of perceived wrongs.
The Police-Community Advisory Group aren’t junior officers, or even citizen police, they are the first in what the Chief hopes will be a continuing line of concerned citizens who have been educated in what it takes to become a police officer and how our department handles different situations.
As per the Town of Holly Springs website, the goals of the Advisory Group are:
To serve as liaisons between the police department and town residents
To provide a formal conduit for improved community dialog and understanding with the police department
To act as ambassadors within the community regarding police matters
Starting in January, these ten volunteers sat down once a week and learned what it meant to serve and protect, to put the needs of the community before themselves, and to place themselves in harm’s way without notice. They spent ten weeks learning police training, standards, and policies; laws and ordinances; and various skills required of the men and women in uniform.
By the end of March, the ten had whittled down to seven, each focused and dedicated to help us, the average citizen, become more educated on the ins and outs of policing. Strictly voluntary, there are no true obligations during the training program. The Chief understands that life gets in the way. But for those who did stick around, it was a rewarding and enriching experience. Their reasons for participating were varied. One gentleman said he wanted to be able to go back to his friends and neighbors to explain why things were done the way they were and what it meant to be a police officer. Considering the turbulent times we find ourselves in, this was the most honest answer I heard. Others felt the desire to continue their public service in a different capacity. All graduated with an overwhelming sense of thanks.
Like in most things, everyone acts differently. I was fortunate enough to watch the final session. The seven’s approach to different situations was interesting and certainly helps go a long way in understanding how an event could turn sideways fast. Each scenario they faced happens on (almost) a daily basis. That opened my eyes, prompting me to wonder just how crime rates were calculated and by what criteria.
For instance, our good officers who came in during their time off to help train and mentor the group explained how domestic disturbance calls can happen multiple times a day. And we’ve all seen traffic stops, especially if you live on the section of Sunset Lake Road between Optimist Farm and Hilltop Needmore. I had the good fortune of watching the first few people go through the routine traffic stop. The ‘actor’ in the car had a gun on the dashboard and an expired registration. The first person focused on the gun. The second went right for the registration without even mentioning a ‘loaded’ weapon sitting on the dash with an irate driver behind the wheel. The third was almost timid, allowing the driver to take control of the situation.
Having spent the better part of twenty years in charge of people, I know that different people have different styles, but seeing this disparity was eye opening. Police officers are no different from the rest of us. Seeing these citizens behave differently suggests that every officer approaches their calls based on their experiences and their personality.
Some will be gruffer than others. Some may try to make you laugh. By realizing it is a tense situation for all involved, perhaps we can all learn something from the men and women who joined the Advisory Group. This commitment to understanding, admirable in all regards, shows us how we can become a stronger community through working together, taking the time to listen to the other person, and diffusing tense situations through patience and a little understanding.
Throughout the class, I never detected a sense of superiority. No lingering suspicions or hesitancy toward interacting with ‘the other side’. Now, I’m sure there will always be some that praise the police as much as those who vilify them. That’s not what this is about. The citizen academy is the Holly Springs Police Department’s opportunity to show us, the average citizen on the street, what they do and why. To show they aren’t the bad guys—in fact, they are just the opposite. And now, for the first time, ten regular citizens of our town have moved to stand beside them.
It is no small thing to put the needs of others ahead of your own. To the men and women of the inaugural citizen academy, we say thank you for taking time out of your busy lives to become better educated, to share your experiences with your communities, and to step forward to ensure Holly Springs continues to be the safe community we all know and love.
The Holly Springs Citizen Academy will hold two classes a year. Applications will be accepted starting on the second Monday in September and lasting through the second Friday of November, or when vacancies occur.
Those who complete the training will serve for a varying degree of time. Some for three years, others two, and some for one. This is to ensure that there is not a complete turnover at the same time and the program can continue with greater outreach. If you are curious and wish to see if this might be right for you, meetings are open to the public and held quarterly. Dates and times are listed on the Town website.
If you are interested in participating in the Police-Community Advisory Group, please visit:
https://www.hollyspringsnc.us/2323/Police-Community-Advisory-Group
