Welcome to the Chief’s Corner
Chief James T. Daniels
Welcome to the
website of the Edgewood Police Department! Our mission statement is: The
Town of Edgewood Police Department is dedicated to the protection and preservation of life and
property. With honor, integrity, and pride, we strive to be the best
professional police department the community demands and deserves. We will be
approachable and dedicated to serving our community to the best of our
abilities. We will enforce the law without prejudice, never forgetting our oath
of office. We will support the Constitution of the State of New Mexico and
ensure that each individual is protected under the Constitution of the United
States of America.
The Edgewood Police
Department is dedicated to the notion that the foundation of the department is
built upon community partnerships. This website is one of the many tools that
we will use to enhance our communication with the community.
We welcome the
community’s use of our website to enhance our partnership with the citizens,
businesses, and visitors to Edgewood as we continue to be “In Service to the
Community.”
March 2010
Welcome to the Chief’s Corner for March 2010! We have hit the ground running in
the new year and 2010 promises to be exciting and full of progress and growth
for your police Department!
It is my pleasure to introduce you to the newest member of our law enforcement
family here at the Edgewood Police Department. Dominic Lopez accepted our offer
to join our department as of January 2010. He brings with him 13 years of law
enforcement experience gained while working in Federal Law Enforcement and at
the local level while working with the Valencia County Sheriff’s Office. He has
already become an important asset to our department with his enthusiasm and
dedication to public safety. Officer Lopez took the initiative to immediately
go out and meet the administration, faculty and staff at the elementary schools
and the mid-school. He is currently in the process of establishing a
partnership with our schools and is working on ways to teach the youngest
members of our community that police officers are their friend and protector and
will always be there if they are ever scared or need help for any reason.
Because Officer Lopez has already proven himself to be such an advocate for our
schools and our children, I have decided to make him the police department’s
first School Liaison. In addition to his regular duties as a patrolman, Officer
Lopez will meet with the schools on a regular basis to assess needs, provide
advise on safety concerning our schools, and spending time in the classrooms
meeting and interacting with the children. Please help me welcome Officer Lopez
to our police department and our community. If you see him out and about at our
schools, stop and introduce yourself to him. I know you will be as impressed
with him as I am.
Another item that I am very excited to announce is that the Edgewood Police
Department has been awarded a grant that has provided an AED device (Automated
External Defibulator) at no cost to the department. The grant was awarded to
the police department through a collaboration between the American Heart
Association and the Heart Hospital of New Mexico Foundation. I want to extend a
“heart-felt” thank you to Terry Harris, the Executive Director of the Heart
Hospital of New Mexico Foundation, who was instrumental in assisting us in
working to obtain eligibility to receive the grant. I also want to acknowledge
the hard work of Jim Edmiston, and thank him for his exceptional grant writing
skills. He wrote an outstanding, comprehensive proposal which enabled the
police department to apply for the grant.
Furthermore, a larger grant is being pursued by the Heart Hospital. If
successful we may be provided additional AED devices in order to equip all of
our police units. This is being made in part by the heroism of one of our
officers, Dave Brown. Prior to joining our department, Officer Brown worked as
a deputy with the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office. While on duty, Officer
Brown responded to an emergency situation where a gentleman was suffering from a
heart attack. As a result of Officer Brown’s quick response and the fact that
he was equipped with an AED device, he was able revive the victim and ultimately
saved his life. Much to Officer Brown’s surprise, the heart attack victim’s
young grand-daughter wrote a letter thanking him for saving the life of her
beloved grandpa. Because that little girl took the time to thank Officer Brown,
we were able to take the letter and submit it with the grant proposal as an
example of the importance of having each officer equipped with the devices, as
we are often the first on scene at an emergency in which time can be the
difference between life or death. As a result of an expression of her gratitude,
that little girl could be responsible for saving countless more lives if we are
successful in obtaining the additional AED’s. We in turn own her a giant thank
you as well!
Now, as I promised back in December, I want to take a moment to provide a couple
of quick tips on keeping our kids safe on the internet. The internet gives
great benefits to everyone, most of all children. And with all of its
advantages, it has disadvantages which can create dangers for children. It is
critical that every parent and every childcare provider familiarize themselves
with the internet and the possible hazards that come with it.
Internet Survival Tips for Parents and
Teachers
Ÿ
Be aware and
involved.
It's up to us to teach kids how to use the Internet safely and responsibly. Just
as we teach them how to eat properly and drive safely, we must teach them how to
be safe, responsible, and respectful on the Internet.
Ÿ
Always keep
your computer in a common room such as the den or T.V. room.
Do not allow your kids to have a computer in a private room such as their
bedroom.
Ÿ
Do your
homework.
Check out sites, investigate ratings, explore safety and privacy tools and
parental control features. Don't be intimidated by the Internet.
Ÿ
Talk to your
kids.
Ask them questions about where they're going online and who their buddies are
Ÿ
Teach safety.
Make sure your kids know how to recognize and avoid dangers. No party postings,
no personal information, no meeting strangers — ever.
Ÿ
Set rules.
Establish time limits, place limits, and codes of conduct.
Ÿ
Report
suspicious activity
to your police department, internet service provider or the National Center for
Missing and Exploited Children (1-800-843-5678).
Ÿ
Help kids
view online information with a critical eye.
Not everything that appears on the Web is true. Teach them to be savvy consumers
of Internet information.
Ÿ
View your own
online habits with a critical eye.
Our kids watch everything we do. If you don't want your kid doing what you're
doing online you might want to think twice about your own habits.
Ÿ
Embrace their
world.
Download music, IM your kids, play an online game, visit MySpace. Not only will
your kids appreciate it, you'll know what you're dealing with!
Signs that
indicate your children are being abused online:
Ÿ
Your child
becomes secretive about their time online;
Ÿ
Uses
computers in locations other than home, such as at the home of friends, internet
cafes, or libraries;
Ÿ
Uses
encryption software;
Ÿ
Downloads
files onto discs where you cannot see the information;
Ÿ
Displays
changes in behavior or acts out sexually;
Ÿ
Becomes
withdrawn and loses self-esteem;
Ÿ
If your phone
bill or child’s cell phone bill is unusually high or you see unfamiliar phone
numbers on your bill.
Communicate openly with your child about what they do online. By having an open
relationship with your children, you can discuss a range of issues such as the
kinds of materials, situations, or people they may mistakenly come across. Keep
talks low-key and discuss all of the situations that could happen on the
Internet. By discussing these things before they happen, you can prevent your
child from being a story in the media.
Contact Chief
Daniels at 505-281-5717 or email
jdaniels@edgewood-nm.gov
to discuss any interest you may have in helping the department or concerns about
public safety.
The office is located at 1916 Historic Route 66 directly across from the Municipal
Offices. Office hours are 8:00 am to 4:30 pm.
For Emergencies please call 911 or 800-742-1144
Town of Edgewood
P.O. Box 3610
Edgewood, NM 87015
Telephone: 505 286-4518
Fax: 505 286-4519
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