Modesto officer-led Healthy Room Project credits outreach, prompts questions about police role in schools

Detective Sean Dodge, the Modesto Police Department’s school engagement officer, told the Community Police Review Board on April 16 that the department’s officers-in-schools work — supported by a California Violence Prevention (CalVIP) grant — is driven by direct engagement and a collection of community programs, including the Healthy Room Project.

Dodge said the CalVIP grant supports his full-time position and that the grant “entails 7 different schools,” listing Mark Twain Junior High, Robertson Road, Kerstin James Marshall, Burbank, Franklin and Aspire University Charter among sites he works with. He described recurring activities — “10 ks with a cop,” recess and lunch engagement, mentoring, and school events — and highlighted the Healthy Room Project, which refurbishes bedrooms for children who lack basic furniture.

Why it matters: Dodge and department leaders framed the effort as a preventative, community-oriented strategy intended to reduce youth contacts with police by building…