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News & Views FROM THE MAYOR Mayor Rochelle Robinson By now, many of you may have seen the Doug- lasville Police Department’s “Running Man Chal- lenge” on various social media sites. The video, which has over 300,000 views and counting, is clearly a hit, judging from the posts and the num- ber of times it has been shared. It is indicative of Chief Gary Sparks, Deputy Chief Sue Anne Shaw and the department’s creative approach to com- munity policing and, while this was a fun and en- gaging way to involve the community, the Dougl- asville Police Department conducts several other activities to accomplish this TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY POLICING. When events involving law enforcement make national news, the phones in my office and at the Dougl- asville Police Department ring incessantly from people wanting to know what the City is doing to prevent the same kinds of situations from hap- pening here. No one truly knows what will hap- pen in any given situation, but Chief Sparks says the officers in the DPD have received mandatory training on diversity, how to de-escalate situa- tions, dealing with the mentally ill and other crit- ical training. “We make sure our men and wom- en are trained in twenty-first century policing,” Chief Sparks said. “They understand the service part; we really push that.” Twenty-first century policing emphasizes a high level of training and education for officers while encouraging and incorporating policies that support a partnership with the community to reduce crime. SATELLITE OFFICE ON THE NORTH SIDE. As a part of his commitment to immerse the PD in the community, Chief Sparks opened a satellite location for the DPD on Hollis Street in June. He said his vision is to have different types of com- munity programs operating out of the building, such as parenting classes, healthcare informa- tion, job fairs, GED assistance, and drug classes. DCOP PROGRAM. The Douglasville Com- 42 Chapel Hill News & Views Community munity Outreach Program (DCOP) sends officers into the area in which they serve, knocking on doors and introducing themselves to the people they serve. “This gives the public a firsthand in- troduction to the command staff and we also give them information to help keep them safe from criminal activity,” the chief said. The program fosters positive community involvement and interaction with the police department, even of- fering citizens the opportunity to ride along with officers on duty. This allows citizens to build a relationship with the DPD in a non-adversarial setting or situation, which is a win-win for ev- eryone involved. Chief Sparks reinforced that this approach places crime-fighting in the hands of the entire community. “It’s all hands on deck, bridging the gap between us and the community,” he said. “We are one with our community.” OTHER DPD PROGRAMS/ACTIVITIES. The Youth Against Violence program (YAV), going into its tenth year, was started to bridge the gap between youths and the DPD. “Since it was start- ed, our youths have developed a more positive view of the police and vice versa,” Sparks said. More than 3,000 young people have participated in the nationally-recognized program since its inception. The DPD also offers a Citizens Police Academy and Neighborhood Watch program, in addition to four town hall meetings per year for citizens, and firearms training for members of the community. Last month, the department began collect- ing toys with its “Christmas in July” effort, the goal of which is to make the holiday merrier for underprivileged children in December. A Com- munity Fall Festival, a day of fun, is scheduled to take place in October. Citizens will have the opportunity to take a walk through the Public Safety building, observe demonstrations from the K-9 unit, participate in games and enjoy arts and crafts displays. The department also holds a Family Day for employees and their children. The men and women of the DPD are doing a great job. Keep up the excellent work and service to the community! WHO WORKS FOR THE CITY? As you can tell, I am proud of the work of Chief Sparks, Depu- ty Chief Shaw and the DPD so this month, I would like to introduce you to our Chief and Deputy Chief. Chief Sparks has served the citizens of Dougl- asville for over 29 years, having begun his career Chief Sparks & Deputy Shaw as a patrol officer in 1987. He moved through the ranks as a detective – where he worked with the Drug Enforcement Agency’s Crack and Violent Crimes Task Force for three years – and was pro- moted to the rank of lieutenant with the patrol division in 1994. In 1997, Chief established the Douglasville SWAT team and later was instru- mental in launching the Youth Against Violence Program. He was sworn in as Chief of Police on September 3, 2015. Chief Sparks earned a B.S. degree in criminal justice from Fort Valley State University in 1981, after which he was commissioned into the U.S. Army as a military police officer. He obtained the M.S. degree in justice administration from Columbus State University in 1993. In June 2011, Chief Sparks graduated from the 245th session of the FBI National Academy. While Chief Sparks is involved in numerous professional organiza- tions, he enjoys playing the saxophone, karate, reading history and working out in his spare time. Like Chief Sparks, Deputy Chief Sue Anne Shaw was born and raised in Douglas County. She began her law enforcement career with the Doug- lasville Police Department in 1991 as a patrol of- ficer, and traffic officer before being promoted to detective, patrol sergeant, detective sergeant, pa- trol lieutenant, admin lieutenant, admin captain and Deputy Chief of Police. Deputy Chief Shaw is a 1995 graduate of Uni- versity of West Georgia with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, a 1999 graduate of Columbus State University with a master’s of public admin- istration, and a graduate of North Central Georgia Law Enforcement Academy.