Over the next several months, employees of the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office will be trained in “bystandership training” in an effort to change the culture of policing.
On Tuesday, the Sheriff’s Office announced that it was chosen out of hundreds of applicants around the country to participate in Georgetown University Law Center’s Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE) Project. There are 34 other law enforcement participants.
Over the next several months, all deputy and civilian employees will be required to get eight hours of “evidence-based active bystandership training designed not only to prevent harm, but to change the culture of policing,” according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Dana Lawhorne said the initiative that improves his department’s ability to meet community expectations,
“That’s why we aggressively sought to be a part of this,” Lawhorne said. “It’s important to us as an agency, it’s important to the community we serve.”
Sheriff’s Office staff will undergo train-the-trainer classes and become certified ABLE trainers. Letters supporting the Sherifff’s application were sent by Mayor Justin Wilson, Correctional Services Advisory Board Chair Amy Reed and Human Rights Commission Vice Chair Matt Harris.
“Now more than ever, communities across the country, and the law enforcement agencies that serve those communities, are recognizing that first responders must do a better job intervening when necessary to prevent their colleagues from causing harm or making costly mistakes,” ABLE states on its website. “ABLE training will be provided at no cost to local law enforcement agencies, but those agencies must commit to creating a culture of active bystandership and peer intervention through policy, training, support, and accountability.”
Salutes to my good friend, City of Alexandria, Virginia Sheriff, Dana Lawhorne, for his great work on joining the National ABLE Project!
Posted by Pat Malone on Tuesday, September 29, 2020
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If you had a chance to enhance a child’s future with a time commitment of less than 2 hours a week, how would you respond? You have that opportunity right now to join over 200 Alexandrians as a reading tutor volunteer with the Alexandria Tutoring Consortium (ATC).
ATC tutors work with one child in kindergarten, first, or second grade in Alexandria public schools who need extra help with reading. Tutors meet with their Book Buddy 1-2 times each week for 30 minutes October-May at school, during school hours. Many struggling readers only receive one-on-one instruction through this program, and it makes all the difference. Last year, ATC served 195 children, of whom 82% ended the year reading on grade level and 96% made substantial reading gains. But the need is great, and we are still seeing learning lags from the pandemic.
This year, ATC plans to significantly increase the size of the program to reach over 250 students and to serve every elementary school in Alexandria. This is very exciting news, but we will only succeed if we can recruit more tutors. ATC trains you, matches you with a child, and provides ongoing lesson materials and support.
If you have been thinking about buying your first home or haven’t owned one in the last three years, THIS IS FOR YOU!
In the DMV area, it can be difficult to save the downpayment necessary for you to get into your own home. We have a solution. The Funder’s Summit!
We have assembled a summit with different municipalities to tell you how to access their funds for your home purchase.
2023 Alexandria Fall Festival
Food trucks, bounce houses, pony rides, magic shows and more at the 2023 Alexandria Fall Festival, an Alexandria Living event presented by The Patterson Group. Join us at River Farm on Sunday, Nov. 5 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
