An open letter from, Randy Sidorski, Police Recruit, Capstone Project, Somerset County Police Academy, June 13, 2004.

I found the capstone project to be very beneficial in understanding the aspects of community policing. I felt that during my experience at the Somerset County Police Academy, I became a little distant from society. In other words, the work volume and studying took up most of my free time. So a project that entailed working with the community became something that I appreciated and enjoyed.

I appreciated it because I feel that working with the community is a great way to feel a sense of accomplishment. For instance, my capstone team’s project created a foundation for a new security training regiment for Raritan Valley Community College. Hopefully, this will increase awareness among the security staff and decrease some of the apprehension affecting students, faculty, and staff.

I also found myself becoming more aware of my surroundings after partaking in this project. I came to believe that one doesn’t need to create something new or fix a problem to feel good about themselves when working with the community. A simple conversation about the weather between an officer and a member of the community can be a lasting effect on that individual. The capstone project allowed me to see how effective community policing will improve community and police relations, officer and community relations, and will bring about a more positive attitude towards police and the work we do.

One of my more favorite aspects of the capstone project was the creativity that we were encouraged to use. In the police academy, mostly all the recruit activities were drawn out to be completed or performed in a pre-determined way. However, the capstone project encouraged creativity and the ability to complete the project in a way that you see as the best for its success.

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