Hanson
Student Police Academy
In
1996, the Hanson Police department formed a partnership
with the
Whitman-Hanson Regional School District to provide
a StudentPoliceAcademy that is offered to students
of the Business Law classes at the High School.
This program has enjoyed continual success since
its inception under the direction of Hanson Police
Sergeant Peter Daley.
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Sgt. Peter Daley |
The
Student Police Academy is structured to give students
an opportunity to learn more about the Hanson Police
Department, the application of criminal and constitutional
law and police operating procedures. Students learn
why a police officer must take a particular course of
action and officers learn how the young people of our
community perceive their actions and presence.
Students are able to see and understand the applications
of what is learned by observing how & why practitioners
apply these principles in law enforcement. Most importantly,
the Student Police Academy familiarizes the students
with the police officers in their community and the
police officers have come to know the youth of the community
in a non-adversarial setting.
The Police Department holds two Student Police Academies
during the School year. Each program consists of ten
to twelve 80-minute classes conducted for 25-30 students
in each class. The curriculum consists of the following:
1- Discussion of the Police department history, staffing,
structure, mission statement and training.
2- Drug laws, classifications & alcohol laws.
3- Patrol procedures, operations, reporting, documentation
and evidence.
4- Class field trip to the police station. “Mock”
OUI arrest and associated procedures. Explanation of
field sobriety checks and breathalyzer. Discussion of
consequences related to making “wrong decisions”.
Lunch is provided.
5- Overview of investigations & specialized training.
6- Domestic/family abuse and sexual assault investigation.
7- Relationships and interaction with other law enforcement
support services.
8- Crime scene investigation: fingerprinting, photography,
processing of evidence & other forensics.
9- Class field trip to the Plymouth County Correctional
Facility. Lunch is provided.
10- Court procedures: arrest warrants, search warrants,
witnesses, district and superior court overview, criminal
prosecution.
11- “The defense perspective”. Topics include:
presumption of innocence, reasonable doubt, burden of
proof, Constitutional and statutory rights. This segment
also includes an interactive question/answer format.
12- “Open Forum” with Hanson Police Officers.
This segment includes an interactive question/answer
format.
13- Officer/student luncheon. Students are presented
with certificates of completion and student police academy
shirts at a luncheon held either at the High School
or police station
Hanson Police Officers serve as the primary instructors
for these classes. Other lecturers are featured from
The Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department and the
District Attorney’s Office. If you have comments
or questions about the Student Police Academy please
contact Sergeant Peter Daley at 781-293-4625 or by email
pdaley@hansonpolice.org
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