PV Monthly Meeting Notes – May 13th, 2021
To download a copy of the notes, click here.
Notes Thursday May 13, 2021 12:00-1:30pm
Virtual
“Collaboration for the Greater Good”
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Welcome by PV Chair-Mark Stockton.
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Chief Kilcullen remarks
- On April 22nd, RCPD met with state representatives of Agency of Human Services, local elected officials, and PV members to discuss the voucher program at the Quality Inn
- Basis of this meeting was to address the high rate of police calls and actions in relation to the program
- Actions items were identified in the meeting that are being addressed
- For example, a resource desk staffed by representatives from the Community Health network will be implemented at the facility
- Weekly follow-up meetings between the RCPD and state officials have continued
- There is potential for the state to fund a full-time officer presence to act as security
- On April 22nd, RCPD met with state representatives of Agency of Human Services, local elected officials, and PV members to discuss the voucher program at the Quality Inn
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Commander Greg Sheldon remarks
- Tuesday lunch-ins at the VISION Center will restart June 8th
- An opportunity for PV partners to have lunch together on a weekly basis
- Boy Scout Explorer Program will restart at the RCPD station in the coming months
- Initial intro meeting is anticipated to convene in July, open to all youths aged 14 to 21 in 9th grade or higher
- Project VISION Steering Committee has reconvened
- A monthly meeting for PV and committee leadership held the second Wednesday of each month
- Discusses PV procedural matters and the actions outlined in the strategic plan
- This week is national police week
- Established in 1962 to honor the nation’s police officers
- In 2020, 290 police officers died in the line of duty
- 192 of these deaths were from Covid-19
- Tuesday lunch-ins at the VISION Center will restart June 8th
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Announcements:
- Colleen Shattuck – Rutland Rec. “MOVE”
- In partnership with Partners for Prevention, RCPD, RCFD, and others, Rutland Recreation is launching a new program called “MOVE”
- Due to connectivity issues, this announcement will be typed and shared via the PV Listserv
- Whitney Ramage (the77gallery@gmail.com) – Introduction to 77Art
- Overview
- A Rutland-based grassroots art organization
- Focuses on building up early career artists
- 501c3 status and is currently fully volunteer run
- Strives to build a welcoming relationship between the Rutland community and the diverse world of arts
- Residency program
- Focus on early artists at the forefront of their career
- Started in 2018, and is expected to resume late summer for 2021
- Program offers artists an opportunity to stay in Rutland for 1 month and embed themselves in studios in the city, with an emphasis on building gallery exhibitions and community collaboration projects
- All residents are supported with housing, food, workspace, and technical assistance
- In 2019, 77Art hosted 38 artists from seven countries and 11 US cities
- Goals
- Establish a strong art institution in Rutland
- Generate art tourism and create national and international relations
- Community Engagement – set to restart in 2022
- Gallery lunch-in programs
- Artist workshops, talks
- Exhibitions
- School programs
- Overview
- Alis Headlam (headlam@aol.com) – ‘We Believe in Rutland’, history book of PV
- For the past 4 years, Alis has written a history of Project VISION
- Originally intended to be a 4 page report, it turned into a 160 page document built upon 73 supporting interviews
- Cover photo is the mural made by Tara Goreau in honor of Carly Ferro
- A truly informative overview of Project VISION and the dynamics that led to its creation
- Print copies will be available for $20 and a read only version available on the Project VISION website in the coming weeks
- Contact Alis to place an order for a print copy
- Agencies and organizations are asked to share a statement about this upcoming piece on their listservs or social media pages
- Alis has a prepared statement that can be used
- Colleen Shattuck – Rutland Rec. “MOVE”
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Rutland PD School Resource Officer Ernest LaGuardia – SRO Presentation
- History of SRO
- Began in the 1950s and 1960s in various locations to establish a relationship between local police and youth
- In the 1970s, many departments across the country began to establish SRO positions
- In 1991, the National Association for School Resource Officers was establish
- Emphasized the three roles of a SRO
- Law enforcement role
- Serve and protect schools
- Being visible and interacting with students
- Work to create a safe environment
- Teacher role
- Build relationships with students and serve as an educator in law enforcement education
- Counselor/ Mentor role
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- Create an open-door environment
- Emphasize community policing model
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- Law enforcement role
- Emphasized the three roles of a SRO
- Goals of SRO
- Above all else, the goal is to build relationships with students
- Participate in school programs, events, gym games, and class projects with students
- Understand the cultural and social trends of students
- In practice, a SRO is an on-duty police officer that acts like a social worker
- In Rutland, the SRO is not involved in disciplinary actions
- Above all else, the goal is to build relationships with students
- History of SRO
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Sub-Committee Updates
- Health Committee – Jamie Bentley report out
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- At the previous Health Committee meeting, a group of Yale and VT Law School students presented a research project on rural transportation, which included suggested action steps to increase accessibility
- provide shelters at each bus stop
- emphasize how travelers connect between a bus network’s last stop and passenger destinations
- emphasize residence zoning in downtown locations
- Sarah Roy, one of three co-chairs of the Health Committee, is back to her regular Project VISION capacity as her state responsibilities to assist in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout has completed
- At the previous Health Committee meeting, a group of Yale and VT Law School students presented a research project on rural transportation, which included suggested action steps to increase accessibility
- Non-Opioid Committee
- Collaborative with Rutland Community Collaborative to develop a training on substance abuse stigma for clinical staff
- Mentoring / Youth Engagement
- Vermont Youth Project is applying for a government grant that will provide the funds necessary to enable schools to have consistent after school programs
- Food Access
- Developing an informational resource that provides comprehensive information on food access locations
- Involved in operating Everyone Eats locations
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- Community Building and Neighborhood Engagement Committee
- Youth Engagement – Chair Sgt Jon Dickerson update
- Pop-up events will resume in mid-July
- Neighborhood Engagement – Chair Alis Headlam
- First meeting since winter occurred on Mary 4th
- Neighborhood walk is scheduled for May 29th, from 9:00 – 10:00am, at the intersection of Kinsley Ave and Church St
- Subcommittee plans to develop a community calendar for community events
- Community Policing – Chair Cmdr Sheldon
- Board of Alderman approved the PV sponsored declaration of inclusion
- There is an effort to receive trainings in crime prevention through environmental design and procedural justice
- The RCPD will start a community ride along program, starting with Community Policing subcommittee members, once COVID-19 restrictions are fully lifted
- Youth Engagement – Chair Sgt Jon Dickerson update
- Health Committee – Jamie Bentley report out
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Uplifting or positive story
- Cmdr Greg Sheldon is very happy and truly thankful to be back and involved in Project VISION