The MCPAAA NEWSLETTER
11 Year Anniversary and The History of the Radar by Dolly Yowler
2010 marks the 11 year anniversary for the Medina Community Police Academy Alumni Association. The first class for the Community Police Academy ran between January 1999 and March 1999. It, along with the other 8 classes that have been since held, was held one night per week for 10 weeks. Each session was scheduled for approximately 3 hours. After each class has completed their 10 week session, they participate in a graduation ceremony at Medina City Hall. They also receive a polo shirt with the police dept’s logo on it, as well as, a certificate of completion of the course. Ron Stollar (Police Sgt. for many years) and Christa Winebrenner (previous civilian employee for the city’s police dept) put together the initial community police academy classes. All students received a thick binder of papers that referenced what each week’s topic would be and information/biography on the police officers or speaker who was affiliated with each week’s topic. Ron and Christa were able to get a grant from the State of Ohio to pay for the first community police academy. When the first class graduated in 1999, many members were still excited about meeting on Thursday evenings and continuing to have some type of continuance with the Medina Police Department. Class 1 member, Laura Stoltz, had researched other areas that had community police academies and realized that some of them form an alumni association. Laura then worked with Ron and Christa to get one started in the City of Medina. A large majority of the class 1 graduates became members. Bylaws for the organization were drawn up and officers/elections were held. The first activities that the newly created alumni assn participated in were of more social events. Many members helped the Parks and Recreation Dept with putting on Halloween Parties and an annual Easter Egg Hunt. As the years have progressed, more “police specific events” are part of the members’ volunteering services. Examples of the “police specific events” include: training and using radar guns to assist in watching for speeders in our city streets, handicap parking watch to make sure that everyone who is parked in the parking spaces around the city are in fact people who have handicap parking placecards, assisting with crowd control for various events/activities such as the Twin Sizzler Race on the 4th of July, July 3rd fireworks, Medina City School’s Fun Run, helping with the OVI Task Force, and various other activities that the police dept needs assistance with. The group also has members who assist with filing and what they are asked to do for the dispatch area of the police dept. There have also been some fun events such as picnics, potlucks with both the alumni assn and the police officers interacting, and a luau. The Medina Community Police Academy Alumni Association also has worked events to raise money for their own organization. These fundraisers have included set up and clean up after the Medina County Career Center’s Home & Flower Shows, and the hot dog sales at Buehler’s. The money earned from working fundraisers gets used to help to supplement the future police academy classes. Also, when the City had budget cuts in 2001-2002, the alumni assn paid for telephone lines/services for the police dept’s satellite station in the K-Mart Plaza. As the alumni assn has grown, it takes on a few more tasks as more and more people become aware of its existence. The organization is now taking on more responsibility to put together the continuing police academy classes. The organization has grown to the point that long time member and multi time president/co-president Bill Roser came up with the idea of having committees and chairpersons for events/activities. The alumni association also has a yearly traditional picture taken up on the square in the gazebo by the Christmas tree and then each members donates a gift for Toys for Tots. Also, some of the members contribute on a monthly basis providing some type of food/treat for the police officers which Charlene Chema makes sure this takes place pretty much on a monthly basis. I will add Medina’s Police Officers are in shape and usually request healthy snacks/food!!
The Medina Community Police Academy classes usually consist of an average of 20-22 participants. There is much class room discussion; but also hands on activities in the learning and education process of what the city’s police dept does. Jerry Klue (Medina Police Dept’s Safe Communities Director) along with the city’s police chief (Dennis Hanwell) are involved in overseeing how the academies are run and what events the alumni association part takes in. The next class will be class #9. When a date is selected for that class, it will be advertised for citizens to apply.
All information about the alumni association is also found on its website: www.mcp3.org.
2010 marks the 11 year anniversary for the Medina Community Police Academy Alumni Association. The first class for the Community Police Academy ran between January 1999 and March 1999. It, along with the other 8 classes that have been since held, was held one night per week for 10 weeks. Each session was scheduled for approximately 3 hours. After each class has completed their 10 week session, they participate in a graduation ceremony at Medina City Hall. They also receive a polo shirt with the police dept’s logo on it, as well as, a certificate of completion of the course. Ron Stollar (Police Sgt. for many years) and Christa Winebrenner (previous civilian employee for the city’s police dept) put together the initial community police academy classes. All students received a thick binder of papers that referenced what each week’s topic would be and information/biography on the police officers or speaker who was affiliated with each week’s topic. Ron and Christa were able to get a grant from the State of Ohio to pay for the first community police academy. When the first class graduated in 1999, many members were still excited about meeting on Thursday evenings and continuing to have some type of continuance with the Medina Police Department. Class 1 member, Laura Stoltz, had researched other areas that had community police academies and realized that some of them form an alumni association. Laura then worked with Ron and Christa to get one started in the City of Medina. A large majority of the class 1 graduates became members. Bylaws for the organization were drawn up and officers/elections were held. The first activities that the newly created alumni assn participated in were of more social events. Many members helped the Parks and Recreation Dept with putting on Halloween Parties and an annual Easter Egg Hunt. As the years have progressed, more “police specific events” are part of the members’ volunteering services. Examples of the “police specific events” include: training and using radar guns to assist in watching for speeders in our city streets, handicap parking watch to make sure that everyone who is parked in the parking spaces around the city are in fact people who have handicap parking placecards, assisting with crowd control for various events/activities such as the Twin Sizzler Race on the 4th of July, July 3rd fireworks, Medina City School’s Fun Run, helping with the OVI Task Force, and various other activities that the police dept needs assistance with. The group also has members who assist with filing and what they are asked to do for the dispatch area of the police dept. There have also been some fun events such as picnics, potlucks with both the alumni assn and the police officers interacting, and a luau. The Medina Community Police Academy Alumni Association also has worked events to raise money for their own organization. These fundraisers have included set up and clean up after the Medina County Career Center’s Home & Flower Shows, and the hot dog sales at Buehler’s. The money earned from working fundraisers gets used to help to supplement the future police academy classes. Also, when the City had budget cuts in 2001-2002, the alumni assn paid for telephone lines/services for the police dept’s satellite station in the K-Mart Plaza. As the alumni assn has grown, it takes on a few more tasks as more and more people become aware of its existence. The organization is now taking on more responsibility to put together the continuing police academy classes. The organization has grown to the point that long time member and multi time president/co-president Bill Roser came up with the idea of having committees and chairpersons for events/activities. The alumni association also has a yearly traditional picture taken up on the square in the gazebo by the Christmas tree and then each members donates a gift for Toys for Tots. Also, some of the members contribute on a monthly basis providing some type of food/treat for the police officers which Charlene Chema makes sure this takes place pretty much on a monthly basis. I will add Medina’s Police Officers are in shape and usually request healthy snacks/food!!
The Medina Community Police Academy classes usually consist of an average of 20-22 participants. There is much class room discussion; but also hands on activities in the learning and education process of what the city’s police dept does. Jerry Klue (Medina Police Dept’s Safe Communities Director) along with the city’s police chief (Dennis Hanwell) are involved in overseeing how the academies are run and what events the alumni association part takes in. The next class will be class #9. When a date is selected for that class, it will be advertised for citizens to apply.
All information about the alumni association is also found on its website: www.mcp3.org.
