NWSCA
| Northwest Security Coordinators Online Newsletter |
August 1999
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West District Commander Receives TCLEOSE Officer of
the Year
Annette Baldwin
Captain T. R. Montefusco, West District Commander of the Harris County
Sheriff’s Department, was awarded the Texas Law Enforcement Achievement
Award for Public Service on May 28 at the State Capitol Building in Austin.
Montefusco was recognized for the design and implementation of the “KOPS”,
Kids Orientation to Police Service Program, which is now an integral part
of the Sheriff’s Department.
The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education
(TCLEOSE), which presented the award, is the Texas agency which certifies
all police officers in Texas. Captain Montefusco and 17 other officers
were selected for the award from the state’s current TCLEOSE certified
55,000 law enforcement officers.
Montefusco designed and implemented the KOPS program over two years
ago. Open to children between the ages of 8 and 11, KOPS offers an
opportunity for participants to receive critical age appropriate information
on emergencies, peer group pressure, gangs, drugs, violence and many other
areas of interest while simultaneously gaining exposure to the resources
of the Sheriff’s Department.
Additionally, the program is designed to reinforce the underlying theme
of civic responsibility, personal responsibility and accountability.
KOPS targets children who are still independent in thinking and not yet
subject to extreme peer group pressure. By instructing children
of this age to avoid the pitfalls, problems and threatening situations
which will arise in their future, KOPS offers them logical alternatives
to bad behavior. The KOPS program is now being considered by many
agencies across the US for incorporation into their local community service
programs.
Parents who want to enroll their children in the six week KOPS program
may call any Harris County Sheriff’s Department Store Front for further
information on dates and enrollment forms. If classes are filled,
the Sheriff’s Department will expand the schedules to meet the needs of
the growing enrollment. |
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