The 39th class of Prince William residents graduated from the Prince William County Police Department’s Citizens Police Academy last week.
The Citizens Police Academy is a 10-week program that covers a full-range of topics, including “Patrol Operations, Criminal Investigations, Tactical Operations, Crime Scene Management, Internal Affairs, and Special Operations,” according to the Prince William County Police Department’s website.
This year, Aaron Edmond provided graduation remarks on behalf of the class.
Here are Edmond’s remarks, in full:
First of all on behalf of the Citizens Police Academy Session 39 I would like to extend our sincerest appreciation to the Prince William County Police Department for their passion to keep this program going and all of their time that they have dedicated to us these past 10 weeks. To Officer Jessica McCauley we appreciate your hard work in organizing this collaboration with our community and giving it your all. We would also like to thank Sergeant Hyatt for assisting Officer McCauley each week and giving us a unique look into his career with the Prince William County Police Department. Lastly we would like to thank Captain Jarad L. Phelps Academy Director and Chief of Police Barry Barnard, your dedication to transparency and the importance of this program to benefit our community is simply outstanding and is well deserving of our gratitude. To all other distinguished guest and the families of my fellow graduates gathered here this evening, we welcome you and thank you for joining us during this special occasion. On day one of the Citizens Academy we were asked the question of what made us interested in being a part of this program? Many of us had mixed responses, some work or volunteer with our Police Department and wanted to see the challenges that our Officers face everyday, some have a desire to join our phenomenal police department in the near future, some wanted to learn more about their community and the challenges that lie ahead, and some of us simply wanted something worth wild to do to fill our time. However by the end of our 10 week journey as many of our questions were answered and we got an extensive tour of all aspects of the Prince William County Police Department we realized just how tough you have to be to get the job done, the incredible amount of passion you need to serve our community as a police officer, the sacrifices our police officers make everyday, and that our Police Department is only as strong as it’s cherished positive relationship with our community. There are many moving parts that make up this police department and all the moving parts must work properly to keep things moving smoothly. Week one we learned about the personnel process to assemble the most dynamic and qualified candidates to staff our police department, week 2 we learned all about life here at the Academy and all the extensive resources available to recruits to make them the best trained in our nation before joining the force, resources that range from Driver Simulation, Use of Force Scenarios, and a state of the art EVOC course to help assist them with learning how to drive through any condition day or night. Week 3 we met at the Western District Station to learn all about what it like to be on patrol as an officer from routine traffic stops, assisting motorist in distress, and responding to routine calls, Week 4 we learned about how our Police Department handles Internal Affairs and the amount of effort they put into ensuring the integrity of our police force and making sure the community is served well, we learned the importance of our Crime Prevention Unit who help our local businesses stay safe and ensure they have adequate security for their businesses, how they organize Community Watch Programs and give home owners the insight on the best ways to prevent from becoming a victim of burglary or any assortment of other common neighborhood crimes, and we learned about the high standards of our Police Department and the CALEA Police Department Accreditation that they have earned and work hard to maintain. Week 5 we learned about crime analysis and how much of a role that they play to prevent crimes in our community, we learned about the intelligence unit that helps keep us safe from any terror threats both foreign and domestic that we may face, and the tough job of our detectives on our Violent Crimes Bureau who spend long hours to find the bad guys and provide closure for victims often at times spending long hours away from their families, week 6 we had the pleasure of visiting Prince William County’s state of the art Forensic Services Department and discovered the unique role they play in collecting critical evidence and processing it with precision to solve crimes, Week 7 we learned about our Animal Control Department, we learned about the Youth Service Bureau who play a special role in keeping our schools safe and developing relationships with our youth to give them a positive example of how to be outstanding citizens, and we were also given insight on the role of the Special Victims Unit and their dedication to aiding our most vulnerable citizens. Week 8 was one of our most exciting weeks as we learned about many of the unique capabilities and benefits to our community by having a well trained SCUBA Team, a Swat Team with the most advanced capabilities, a dynamic K-9 Unit, a fully capable and state of the art Mobile Crisis Center, and a well versed Traffic and Crash Investigation Unit. Finally Week 9 we learned about the many challenges our Narcotics Unit, Gang Unit, and Street Crimes Unit face as they go to such great lengths to prevent crimes from happening, keep drugs off our streets, and imbed themselves in dangerous situations to keep up with changing threats, new crimes, and the evolving language of Gangs in our community. In addition to these exciting 9 weeks we all had the privilege to go along individual ride alongs for a full shift to place ourselves in the shoes of our police officers in real time. And boy do they have a difficult job and they truly give their all each day to make a difference. While We Sleep While we sleep the guardians of the night take to the streets. Having said goodbye to those they love, each other knowing they may never say these words again. They face the evil that we run from. They dedicate their lives to those that would hate them because they wear the badge… They wear this badge not for glory or recognition, but because they were born to honor “The Thin Blue Line” On behalf of the Citizens Police Academy Session 39 we would like to honor the fallen heroes of the Prince William County Police Department: Officer Ashley Marie Guindon Officer Chris Yung Officer Philip Michael Pennington Officer Paul Thomas “Pete” White Jr. Your ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty will never be forgotten and may we never forget. In closing I would like to say a few words about the importance of our community working together with our Police Department to ensure the well-being of the community we live in, the combined effort needed to keep our streets safe, and the importance for us to give our police officers the support they need. The police officers of our community are our most trusted public servants and often times go unappreciated or are met with hostility. They are the first ones to arrive on the scene to respond to our calls and often at times are our shoulder to cry on some of our worst days. Police Officers around our nation are faced with violence and are senselessly targeted, but our officers never waiver and continue to bravely serve us to ensure the safety of all. We are all one and we must never forget to lead our lives with love. Our Police Officers are just as a part of our communities as our neighbors, business owners, teachers, friends, and loved ones and they need our support too. So as we open our hearts let us never forget all of the sacrifices our officers make and occasionally stop and say hello when you see them on our streets or maybe even hug them a hug when they face difficult trials. The success of our community is truly up to all of us and it is our solemn duty and responsibility to fight to make our communities better through service, watch out for our fellow citizens, and to never stop the fight to break down barriers for people from all walks of life! Our anger can be turned into hope, our fears turned into understanding, and our downfalls turned into triumph. It is up to us all united we stand, divided we fall, stronger together. Thank you all!
First of all on behalf of the Citizens Police Academy Session 39 I would like to extend our sincerest appreciation to the Prince William County Police Department for their passion to keep this program going and all of their time that they have dedicated to us these past 10 weeks. To Officer Jessica McCauley we appreciate your hard work in organizing this collaboration with our community and giving it your all. We would also like to thank Sergeant Hyatt for assisting Officer McCauley each week and giving us a unique look into his career with the Prince William County Police Department. Lastly we would like to thank Captain Jarad L. Phelps Academy Director and Chief of Police Barry Barnard, your dedication to transparency and the importance of this program to benefit our community is simply outstanding and is well deserving of our gratitude. To all other distinguished guest and the families of my fellow graduates gathered here this evening, we welcome you and thank you for joining us during this special occasion.
On day one of the Citizens Academy we were asked the question of what made us interested in being a part of this program? Many of us had mixed responses, some work or volunteer with our Police Department and wanted to see the challenges that our Officers face everyday, some have a desire to join our phenomenal police department in the near future, some wanted to learn more about their community and the challenges that lie ahead, and some of us simply wanted something worth wild to do to fill our time. However by the end of our 10 week journey as many of our questions were answered and we got an extensive tour of all aspects of the Prince William County Police Department we realized just how tough you have to be to get the job done, the incredible amount of passion you need to serve our community as a police officer, the sacrifices our police officers make everyday, and that our Police Department is only as strong as it’s cherished positive relationship with our community.
There are many moving parts that make up this police department and all the moving parts must work properly to keep things moving smoothly. Week one we learned about the personnel process to assemble the most dynamic and qualified candidates to staff our police department, week 2 we learned all about life here at the Academy and all the extensive resources available to recruits to make them the best trained in our nation before joining the force, resources that range from Driver Simulation, Use of Force Scenarios, and a state of the art EVOC course to help assist them with learning how to drive through any condition day or night.
Week 3 we met at the Western District Station to learn all about what it like to be on patrol as an officer from routine traffic stops, assisting motorist in distress, and responding to routine calls, Week 4 we learned about how our Police Department handles Internal Affairs and the amount of effort they put into ensuring the integrity of our police force and making sure the community is served well, we learned the importance of our Crime Prevention Unit who help our local businesses stay safe and ensure they have adequate security for their businesses, how they organize Community Watch Programs and give home owners the insight on the best ways to prevent from becoming a victim of burglary or any assortment of other common neighborhood crimes, and we learned about the high standards of our Police Department and the CALEA Police Department Accreditation that they have earned and work hard to maintain.
Week 5 we learned about crime analysis and how much of a role that they play to prevent crimes in our community, we learned about the intelligence unit that helps keep us safe from any terror threats both foreign and domestic that we may face, and the tough job of our detectives on our Violent Crimes Bureau who spend long hours to find the bad guys and provide closure for victims often at times spending long hours away from their families, week 6 we had the pleasure of visiting Prince William County’s state of the art Forensic Services Department and discovered the unique role they play in collecting critical evidence and processing it with precision to solve crimes, Week 7 we learned about our Animal Control Department, we learned about the Youth Service Bureau who play a special role in keeping our schools safe and developing relationships with our youth to give them a positive example of how to be outstanding citizens, and we were also given insight on the role of the Special Victims Unit and their dedication to aiding our most vulnerable citizens.
Week 8 was one of our most exciting weeks as we learned about many of the unique capabilities and benefits to our community by having a well trained SCUBA Team, a Swat Team with the most advanced capabilities, a dynamic K-9 Unit, a fully capable and state of the art Mobile Crisis Center, and a well versed Traffic and Crash Investigation Unit. Finally Week 9 we learned about the many challenges our Narcotics Unit, Gang Unit, and Street Crimes Unit face as they go to such great lengths to prevent crimes from happening, keep drugs off our streets, and imbed themselves in dangerous situations to keep up with changing threats, new crimes, and the evolving language of Gangs in our community. In addition to these exciting 9 weeks we all had the privilege to go along individual ride alongs for a full shift to place ourselves in the shoes of our police officers in real time. And boy do they have a difficult job and they truly give their all each day to make a difference.
While We Sleep
While we sleep the guardians of the night take to the streets.
Having said goodbye to those they love, each other knowing they may never say these words again.
They face the evil that we run from.
They dedicate their lives to those that would hate them because they wear the badge…
They wear this badge not for glory or recognition, but because they were born to honor “The Thin Blue Line”
On behalf of the Citizens Police Academy Session 39 we would like to honor the fallen heroes of the Prince William County Police Department:
Officer Ashley Marie Guindon
Officer Chris Yung
Officer Philip Michael Pennington
Officer Paul Thomas “Pete” White Jr.
Your ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty will never be forgotten and may we never forget.
In closing I would like to say a few words about the importance of our community working together with our Police Department to ensure the well-being of the community we live in, the combined effort needed to keep our streets safe, and the importance for us to give our police officers the support they need. The police officers of our community are our most trusted public servants and often times go unappreciated or are met with hostility. They are the first ones to arrive on the scene to respond to our calls and often at times are our shoulder to cry on some of our worst days. Police Officers around our nation are faced with violence and are senselessly targeted, but our officers never waiver and continue to bravely serve us to ensure the safety of all.
We are all one and we must never forget to lead our lives with love. Our Police Officers are just as a part of our communities as our neighbors, business owners, teachers, friends, and loved ones and they need our support too. So as we open our hearts let us never forget all of the sacrifices our officers make and occasionally stop and say hello when you see them on our streets or maybe even hug them a hug when they face difficult trials. The success of our community is truly up to all of us and it is our solemn duty and responsibility to fight to make our communities better through service, watch out for our fellow citizens, and to never stop the fight to break down barriers for people from all walks of life! Our anger can be turned into hope, our fears turned into understanding, and our downfalls turned into triumph. It is up to us all united we stand, divided we fall, stronger together. Thank you all!
© Copyright 2018 What's Up Prince William. All Rights Reserved
