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Sunnyvale outlines school liaison, youth leadership and citizen-academy outreach programs
Summary
Officials described school-resource and neighborhood liaison roles, summer youth leadership and a seven-week citizen academy as part of community engagement and prevention work.
Sunnyvale public-safety staff described several community-facing programs, including school resource liaisons, a youth leadership academy and a seven-week citizen academy designed to give residents a behind-the-scenes look at public-safety operations.
Officer Joseph Miller, assigned to the community-management unit, described the department's school-resource-officer (SRO) and liaison work with businesses and schools. He said four officers are assigned to the unit and that the unit provides training and outreach to schools and neighborhood groups.
Youth and adult engagement: Deputy Chief Hans highlighted a summer youth leadership academy serving about 30 middle-school students and a seven-week citizen academy in the fall where adults can learn about patrol operations, fire suppression and use of the firing range. Officials said these programs are tools for prevention and relationship-building.
Neighborhood services and volunteers: Officials pointed to neighborhood resource officers and volunteer-run programs that provide outreach and free youth sports support; residents were directed to Officer Nello and other neighborhood-resource staff for local projects such as re-establishing youth T-ball programs.
Why it matters: Officials said these programs help build trust, reduce crime through prevention and recruit future public-safety personnel. Staff distributed QR codes and information at the event for residents to sign up or request more information.
