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###  The Arlington Police Department: “It Takes a Village to Raise a Child” 

 May 2017 | Volume 10 | Issue 5

*The COPS Office is pleased to  feature the May 2017 winner of the Community Policing in Action Photo Contest:  the Arlington (TX) Police Department. The winning photo features Cpl. Damien  Gary teaching a young man how tie a necktie during the Mentoring Arlington  Youth Program “Dress for Success” workshop.*

          When  Isaiah Austin was picked up from school early on a Monday afternoon in a police  van, it wasn’t because he had done something wrong. It was because he had done  something *right*. Isaiah was one of  ten young men selected to participate in the first class of Mentoring Arlington Youth (MAY), a program developed by  the Arlington Police Department (APD)  in partnership with the  City of Arlington Municipal Court and the Arlington Independent School  District. On that particular Monday afternoon, Austin was leaving school early  to participate in an interview with Department of Justice’s Office of Community  Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office). 

          “It’s  usual and a cool thing at the same time,” Austin responded when asked if it was  unusual for him to be picked up from school in the police van. “It’s something  other people don’t get to do.”

          Austin’s  mentor, Sgt. Vincent Pewitt picked him up from school that Monday, as he has  done many times before. He and Austin have developed a special bond since  meeting through the MAY Program in 2015. “I’ve gained a new friend,” said  Pewitt.

          The MAY  Program was the brainchild of a group of APD officers, led by Chief Will  Johnson, who realized the importance of male mentors in the lives of young men  living without their fathers. As of the 2010 census, 15% of all of the  households in Arlington had a female householder and no husband present.1 The MAY Program, which launched in 2015, serves as a resource for some of those  households. 

          In the  MAY Program, young African-American and Hispanic men are partnered with APD  officers for a minimum of 18 months to work on leadership, team building,  education, and career development skills. Participants attend organized  workshops and events, but also receive something greater, which is direct  access to APD officers who are committed to their success. 

          Pewitt,  who has been with the department for twenty years, shared that his role in the  MAY Program is about much more than just being a mentor. “It’s not just a one  day event, it’s a commitment,” he said. “We’ve built a relationship and it’s  been fun. I have a relationship with his [Austin’s] mom and his sister now,  too.” 

          Pewitt  said that there are so many opportunities for teaching moments with Austin.  “I’ll tell you a quick story. Just today after picking him up from school, we  were having a conversation about what to do when you meet a young lady. I told  him I think it is important that as you are trying to meet a young lady, you  try to remember the young lady’s name. Certain things are important. I think he  understands that now and I don’t think he’ll forget it,” Pewitt laughed. 

          For  Austin, whose father is not present in the household, Pewitt provides guidance  and stability in a way that he may not have experienced without the MAY  Program. “I think of Sgt. Pewitt as just part of my life now because I never  really had a man in my life to fill that role of a mentor. I talk to him on a  regular basis. I know a lot about him and he knows a lot about me. It makes me  feel good.”

          The day  the winning photo was taken, MAY Program participants were attending a “Dress  for Success” workshop at a local store. Cheryel Carpenter of APD’s media office  was there that evening taking photos. “We were documenting the success of the  program to show the interactions between police and young men. There was so  much to photograph. I moved from one spot to the next. They boys were all over  the place. They were excited. I just moved around grabbing photos. It was good  to see that network and that relationship building,” she said.

          Pewitt  was not able to attend that particular event, so without hesitation, Cpl.  Damien Gary assisted Austin. It was a critical moment for both Austin and Gary,  as the MAY Program teaches young men that learning how to tie a necktie is  critical to building self-respect and confidence. 

          Gary,  who has served with the APD for nine years, is also a MAY Program mentor who  says the program has changed his life. “This program has changed my life,  knowing that I’m changing someone’s life. People call you and they expect you  to have an answer. You have to explain to them how to handle things. I look at  life differently now just from being in this program. Hopefully, they [MAY  Program participants] will be able to do the same.”

          Austin  has now learned tie his own necktie without any assistance. “My grandfather  tried to teach me before, but it was kind of complicated,” he laughed. 

          The MAY  Program has received national recognition, winning the COPS Office 2016 L. Anthony Sutin Civic Imagination  Award.

          The COPS  Office congratulates the Arlington Police Department for being one of the 12  winners of the COPS Office 2017 Community Policing in Action Photo Contest and  for its commitment to community policing.

*Written with contributions from  Arlington Police Department Sgt. Vincent Pewitt, Cpl. Damien Gary, and  Mentoring Arlington Youth Program Participant Isaiah Austin. Photo courtesy of  Cheryel Carpenter, Arlington Police Department Media Office.*****

          Najla Haywood          Managing Editor          COPS Office

References1  “Arlington, Texas,” Wikipedia, accessed April 24, 2017, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arlington,_Texas. 
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