Police and Teens Together Offered Again at Cranford High School
Members of the Cranford Police Department swapped places with Cranford High School Students during the annual Police and Teens Together (PATT) programming offered to Criminal Justice students at CHS. Detective Matthew Siessel, a trained PATT Program Facilitator, organized the event along with the assistance of members of the Juvenile Bureau, Patrol Division, Detective Bureau, Traffic Bureau and Community Outreach Unit. Partnering with the Cranford Police Department were Mrs. Mandy Charles, a Criminal Justice instructor at CHS, and Mr. Mark Cantagallo, Principal of CHS.
PATT involves three days of shared experiences for students and police officers. Day one allows students to engage in honest and open conversations with police officers about their experiences - both positive and negative - with law enforcement. During day two, students take on the role of police officers and conduct mock motor vehicle stops, learning what tactics police officers utilize to ensure a safe and productive interaction with the public. Lastly, day three consists of learning about the officers "behind the badge," demonstrating that police officers are regular people outside of their professions.
Students were able to see Body Worn Videos (BWC) of Cranford officers responding to various calls for service to show an officer's safety concerns and challenges with de-escalating tense crises.
With the goal of breaking down any barriers between law enforcement and Cranford's younger generation of residents, PATT has been offered to Cranford High School students since 2015. This year covered three separate classes of 10th-12th grade students.
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Release by Captain Matthew R. Nazzaro
m-nazzaro@cranfordnj.org / 908-709-3990