Photo By Staff Sgt. Fred Brown | Harker Heights Police Department Corporal Jack Wallace (left) explains the different...... read more read more
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FORT HOOD, Texas – Harker Heights and Killeen law enforcement personnel escorted military leaders to various venues where Soldiers spend time in the evenings and weekends, as part of the 1st Cavalry Division Leadership Ride-Along Program.
Leaders from the 1st Cavalry Division are participating in the Leadership Ride-Along program to gain a better understanding of the local hang-out spots where Soldiers are spending time at, and to immediately address military discipline issues that arise.
“Every weekend is a new experience,” said Capt. Corey Taylor, Forward Support Company G, 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team. “However with me going out, it actually gives me a chance to witness what actually happens at the bars and clubs. This also gives me an opportunity to add to my safety briefs. So Soldiers in the future will hopefully not get into the same situations that others have before them.”
While military leaders learn a lot about where their Soldiers go and how they conduct themselves in the local community, there are also advantages for law enforcement officers.
“We get a lot of benefits in that it does give us another option other than an arrest,” said Sgt. Thomas Smith, Killeen Police Department patrol sergeant. “It keeps Soldiers out of the court system and they can be dealt with through their command. It gives better options and shows a partnership with the overall command and support of Fort Hood to the public.”
The presence of military leadership often prevents problems that might arise otherwise, something Officer Larry Hunter, Harker Heights Police Department patrol officer, says that bar managers love.
“The owners and managers know if command teams are patrolling the area, Soldiers are less likely to cause trouble,” said Hunter. “The managers are always out to greet the command teams because their presence is good for both their business and the community.”
After his first time on the Leader Ride-Along program, 1st Sgt. Michael Giese, Company B, 615th Aviation Support Battalion, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, said this was a good experience for himself and his commander.
“Everything we talked about during the brief, talked about with the officers, I got to see it first hand,” said Giese. “I saw Soldiers making good decisions and we were able to help a few from making really bad ones. Overall, this gives me a lot to bring back to my formation.”
This is only the second iteration of the Leader Ride-Along program for the Killeen Police Department and the fifth iteration of the program with the Harker Heights Police Department. Harker Heights law enforcement leaders estimate that over the course of the first four iterations of the program, approximately 741 Soldiers have been diverted to military authorities instead of being arrested.
Michael Gentry, Harker Heights Chief of Police, said conducting community policing with military leaders is ultimately about taking care of Soldiers and their families.
According to Gentry, the program has been highly successful in the development of relationships with leaders from Fort Hood and both Killeen and Harker Heights Police Departments.
“It’s great to see leaders correcting their Soldiers and preventing them from ending up in the civilian court system,” said Gentry. “That’s how we grow stronger as a community and build better ties between the Fort Hood leadership and our department.”
| Date Taken: | 05.26.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 06.01.2015 16:32 |
| Story ID: | 165142 |
| Location: | FORT HOOD, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 65 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, Command teams recieve first-hand experience during local police ride-along program, by SSG Fred Brown, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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