Recently, Meuser, Yackley & Rowland attorney, Nadya Yarmolich, attended a six-week community academy hosted by the Scott County Sheriff’s Department. This was a program Nadya was interested in attending to learn more about the Sheriff’s Department and how it interacts with the local community. Read on to learn more about Nadya’s experience.
The Scott County Sheriff’s Department hosted their 2022 Community Academy, which I had the privilege to participate in. The annual Sheriff’s Community Academy is an interactive, six-week series meant to give participants knowledge of the Scott County Sheriff’s Office.
As an attorney that represents first responders and police officers, I understand the importance of being informed and aware of the issues that affect our communities from the perspective of a community member and our law enforcement personnel. To provide the best service to my clients, a key aspect is to build relationships and stay informed, so when I learned of this opportunity, I knew that this would be a valuable experience for me and registered to participate in the six-week academy. This opportunity also provided me, as a member of the community and a professional, to identify problems and solutions to issues that affect our communities. This was an opportunity for me to also expand my knowledge and awareness of the many different roles that police officers and first responders play in our communities.
Each night during the six-week series, presenters from different divisions and units within the sheriff’s office spoke to Scott County community members. The presenters included deputies, investigators, and law enforcement personnel that spoke about their expertise and experience in the different divisions/units.
The presentation included discussion on the Support and Service divisions (investigative, Civil, Records, Task Force), Operations Division (Patrol, K-9, Recreational Safety), Emergency Management and Communications Division (911 Dispatch), Jail Division (Jail, Court Security, Transports). This provided members of the community the opportunity to engage with different personnel within the department and talk about their areas of expertise. These presentations often lead to many questions and good discussions between the community members and the presenters. The academy provided me with further insight into what happens in each division/unit.
The Community Academy provided both members of the community and the Scott County Sheriff’s department an opportunity to build positive law enforcement – community relationships. When community members have a better understanding of the law enforcement functions and their mission to serve and protect the communities, with dignity, compassion, respect, and integrity, then stronger relationships and trust is built. I am thankful for this opportunity and enjoyed participating in the community academy.