On Friday, August 26, 2022, from 11 am to 1 pm in the President’s Suite at Frank R. Campbell Stadium on North Campus at Averett University (707 Mount Cross Road, Danville, VA 24540), the fourth session of the Danville Police Department’s C.L.I.P. (Community Leadership and Immersion Program) will successfully graduate.
This year, the program was in collaboration and hosted by Averett University, Dr. Tiffany Franks, and CCECC (Center for Community Engagement and Career Competitiveness). The program is four weeks of classroom, workshop, and real-world training that enables officers to understand the history and inherent needs of the Danville community for new officers. This is a mandatory training for all new officers. The curriculum is built by community members and hosts a diverse group of speakers from various backgrounds, demographics, and organizations. The final week of training consists of a presenting and completion of a project that will have a lasting effect on the community. Community stakeholders in consultation with Chief Scott Booth developed this program to ensure new officers have the resources and information to be successful once they are assigned to a quarter (Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, Southeast) in the city. This promotes the idea for DPD to be problem solvers within the community. C.L.I.P. training occurs after an officer completes approximately 26 weeks of recruit training at the regional academy.
On April 26, 2022, the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs presented Chief Scott C. Booth with the 2022 Excellence in Virginia Award for Innovation in regard to his community policing work for the C.L.I.P. The award recognizes the recipient’s innovative work that results in increased efficiency, effectiveness, or other improvements that affect how a government entity performs, in supporting and delivering services to its constituents. This award highlights and illustrates how cutting-edge Chief Booth is with his forward-thinking initiatives.
“Community policing is foundational to everything that goes into reducing crime and making a community better,” said Chief Scott Booth. “If you do not have a police department that is connected to the wants and needs of the community, which you are there to protect and serve, you are never going to be effective.”
“I have been thoroughly impressed with the nine new officers we have in session four of the Community Leadership and Immersion Program (CLIP). Seeing the connections they have made between day one’s asset-based community approach to the community capstone project they have developed has truly inspired me. I am proud of them for developing a strong network of community resources and learning how to utilize that network in their police officer role. We are about to have nine new police officers in Danville who not only care about our community but genuinely want to help make us the best we can be.” – Dr. Billy Wooten, Dean of Engaged Learning and Executive Director of CCECC, Averett University
“With the help from our community partners and neighborhood leaders, I feel this program provided the tools for officers to magnify their passion to protect and serve our community. Not only did this program build relationships, but the officers had a chance to connect to the area and understand Danville’s sweet spots within community engagement.” – Tia Yancey, Director of Volunteerism, Averett University