Leadership Charlotte (LC) Class: 34
Title/Company: Captain, Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department
Education: Appalachain State University, Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice; Capella University, Master’s in Human Services
Current personal or leadership goals:
To always be willing to lend a helping hand and be to continue to have a genuine heart. – Philippians 4:13
If you could describe your Leadership Charlotte experience in three words or phrases what would they be?
Insightful, intense and unmatched
What advice would you give to current Leadership Charlotte participants and why? You have to go into the “program” with an open mind and heart. You have to be willing to be vulnerable and allow people to enter your personal space. I don’t consider Leadership Charlotte a program. It’s an experience.
What do you hope to be doing (differently) in five years?
In five years I will be a year out from retirement. My intentions are to work with more non-profit agencies that deal directly with under privileged males between the ages of 14-21. I think we are losing that population to the Criminal Justice system and there are programs that could be utilized to reduce those numbers. You have to be willing to get out in the community and work if you want to make change.
What are you doing in the community today?
I’m working with Officer Finis on “The Terrybrook Project”. It originally started as one of her final training requirements, but has turned into much more. We work with kids who live on Terrybrook Lane and try to be positive role models in their lives. Terrybrook Lane has traditionally been plagued with violent crime and the children were usually present when police had to do enforcement action.
The idea was to create more positive interaction with the kids. We want them to understand police are there to protect them, but we also work in the community because we enjoy meeting and making new friends. Activities include outdoor movie nights where we set up a screen in the grass so neighborhood kids and families can eat and watch movies together, arts and craft evenings, and clean-up days that show the importance of ownership. It has been successful and this project has a bright future.