Hometown Security Program Receives Grant for Community Training
Colorado State University Cooperative Extension received a $130,000 grant from the Colorado Regional Policing Institute to help local communities build support for first responders and increase safety during natural and human made disasters.
The program, called Hometown Security: Tools for Engaging Citizens, will focus on technical assistance training for community organizations so they may be better able to work with volunteers who want to make their neighborhoods safer, said Jacque Miller, program coordinator and Cooperative Extension specialist.
Some of the topics for training include trends in citizen involvement, roles of first responders and citizens, the connection between homeland security and community policing, community readiness, building community partnerships, developing community action plans, grant writing, volunteer development and planning and facilitating effective meetings. The goal is to help community groups increase awareness, knowledge and skills to be able to effectively gain citizen participation in public safety.
Colorado State Cooperative Extension is partnering with Citizen Corps of the Governor’s Office on Community Service and the Office of the Lt. Governor in two upcoming regional Citizen Corps workshops. The workshops are scheduled on Jan. 24 in Centennial and Feb. 11 in Denver. Both are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and free to those working in community safety and interested volunteers. Space is limited to 100 persons at each. For registration or information on the Centennial program call the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s office at (720) 874-4155; for information on the Denver program, call Ron Liggett at the Red Cross (303) 607-4762.
Technical assistance training ranges from one to twelve hours, depending on the topics chosen, and they are offered at no cost to communities. For more information or to arrange training in your community, call Miller at (970) 491-2515 or e-mail Jacque.Miller@colostate.edu.
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