on 10-14-2009 02:50

By DONNA KENNY KIRWAN

PAWTUCKET—Congressman Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) joined Mayor James E. Doyle and representatives of the Pawtucket Police Department at police headquarters on Tuesday to announce a $493,000 appropriation that will pay for a variety of youth programs and initiatives.

Kennedy referred to the appropriation as “A Partnership for a Brighter Future,” and explained how it reaches out to the city's youth on several levels, in trying to combat truancy and encourage students to stay in school as well as helping to nurture interests through recreational and music programs as well as job skill training and other career development.
The grant, written by Pawtucket Police Sgt. Michael Cute, provides funding for one year.
Mayor James E. Doyle noted that the grant is significant on several levels because it helps provide a police presence in the city's middle schools, where problems often start, as well as offering additional support and resources to students at risk of dropping out or failing, such as programs available through the School Department and the Boys and Girls Club.
According to a press release, part of these federal funds will be used to pay for three police officer positions under the police department's Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT) Program. The officers will be assigned to Jenks, Goff and Slater Junior High Schools.
The cost of filling this position is based on the annual salary of one police officer along with the cost of the annual Medicare contribution, retirement contribution, sick days and vacation days accumulated in one year.
The grant will aid the police department's efforts to reduce criminal activity and truancy among students. The full-time officers are selected to develop bonds with the students and teachers within the schools to which they are assigned with the goal of helping to reduce the number of violent incidents, reduce truancy and build trust among police and students.
Also being paid for through the appropriation is equipment and training for the Police Department's Special Response Team that is charged with keeping the schools safe. This objective involves the recurrent training of teachers, administrators, school staff and officers on how to respond to a crisis situation. Prior to this grant, the funding for the SRT training program was nearing elimination, according to the press release.
A total of $33,650 will be used to purchase equipment that includes ballistic shields, batteries for light systems, less lethal equipment, breaching equipment, simulated ammunition kits, spotter bipods, trauma kits and communication headsets, according to the press release. Additionally, $12,000 will be spent to work with a consulting group to provide training for employees of the School Department, police officers and members of the Special Response Team (SRT), and $79,690 will pay for the members of the SRT to train for an average of 14-16 hours, which is done through overtime.
Additionally, the $6,450 will go toward retaining the Juvenile Hearing Board, a locally established diversionary program intended to reduce the number of offenders being forwarded to the state's juvenile court system. The individuals who oversee and panel this board have been compensated through alternative funding that has been reduced due to the economic condition of the city, according to the press release.
In addition, the Pawtucket Police Department will spend $3,000 from this grant to send two staff members to a grant writing seminar in Washington, DC as required by the conditions of obtaining this grant.
Another key part of the grant provides $70,450 to local Boys and Girls Club programs that are intended to combat Pawtucket's high drop-out rate through the utilization of after-school programs geared towards tutoring and recreation.
Similarly, the Pawtucket School Department is getting $55,000 to be spent on the salaries of a teacher for its “Diploma Plus” program and an advisor for its “School to Work” program. Both initiatives focus on helping students to find alternatives to dropping out of school or not achieving their diploma.
Additionally, the Cape Verdean American Cultural Development (CACD) group will receive $52,190 for a program that will expose children in the target group to musical instruction and the art of Capoeira.