TWIN CITIES PARTNER ON CORE LAUNCH
BENTON HARBOR & ST. JOSEPH, MICHIGAN: THE CORE PILOT
CORE Strength had its debut in the spring of 2019 on the golden coast of Lake Michigan. The public safety directors of the Twin Cities of Benton Harbor and St. Joseph, Michigan, partnered with Danette and the CORE team to provide an eight-week training program for a group of their officers. This “history in the making” pilot program was ground-breaking for the two cities and departments. It cultivated a unified, integrated approach to public safety between the historically divided cities. The program proved to be transformative for the individual officers and their departments, and it also built bridges between the two public safety departments and the communities they serve. The program has since been registered by MCOLES (Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards) in the State of Michigan.
OFFICER FEEDBACK ABOUT THE TRAINING
These are some of the written responses provided by Pilot participants in an anonymous online survey upon completion of the program:
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The CORE model should be taught early on, like in the police academy.
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Especially [valuable for] younger officers. I would have liked this training 20 years ago.
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Excellent training and highly recommended.
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[The program] gave me a time of the week I could look forward to that allowed me to express myself to other officers about what I was going through.
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The CORE model should be taught early on, like in the police academy.
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Especially [valuable for] younger officers. I would have liked this training 20 years ago.
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The program gave me a time of the week I could look forward to that allowed me to express myself to other officers about what I was going through.
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Helps me connect more with younger officers and their needs, which are different today than when I was younger officer.
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Connecting with people on an emotional level has never come natural to me. But this helped put a couple things into perspective.
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I talk with my [family] more than I used to—in a more constructive/healthy way.
CORE INSTRUCTORS DISCUSS THE PILOT'S SUCCESS
