Community involvement like taking the Citizens Police Academy course plays integral role in crime-fighting and establishing a bond with parish law enforcement

Rafael Goyeneche III, head of the Metropolitan Crime Commission in New Orleans, was guest speaker for the graduation.

Sheriff James Pohlmann addresses the graduates.

Rafael Goyeneche III, President of the 64-year-old citizens’ organization the Metropolitan Crime Commisssion in New Orleans, lauded members of the 18th graduating class of St. Bernard’s Citizens Police Academy for taking time to learn about law enforcement and said such community involvement is crucial in crime-fighting and establishing a bond with police.

“I can’t commend you enough for this,’’ Goyeneche said of the 30 graduates who took the Sheriff’s Office Citizens Police Academy which shows how law enforcement works in St. Bernard and seeks to better communications between the community and police.

“You have given your time over 10 weeks to learn about the Sheriff’s Office in your parish,’’ Goyeneche said at the Oct. 26 graduation, and are now in a position to offer a certain perspective about it to relatives and friends.

It is community awareness and involvement that helps fight crime and builds a bond with law enforcement, said Goyeneche, 27 years head of the Crime Commission which has spawned investigations into corruption and government waste over its years.

Sheriff Pohlmann told graduates that he hoped they learned insight into how law enforcement and parish courts works in St. Bernard Parish.

The men and women of the Sheriff’s Office are well-trained and backed by the latest technology in areas such as communications, weapons and innovations such as a bomb robot to inspect suspicious items, the sheriff said.

“I would stand our Sheriff’s Office up to any in the state,’’ he said.

This is a parish “where people will pick up the phone and report something that doesn’t look right to them,’’ he said which leads to arrests.

“It makes it a safe community when citizens get involved,’’ the sheriff said.

Capt. Charles Borchers, who coordinates the Citizens Police Academy with Dep. Eric Eilers, reminded residents they can sign up for the next free Sheriff’s Office program – Refuse to be a Victim – which is being held Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 6:30 p.m. in the Sheriff’s Office Training Center at 2118 Jackson Ave. in Chalmette, immediately behind the Parish Courthouse. It is in the same building as the Assessor’s Office.

To sign up, call Borchers at (504) 278-7628 or Eilers at (504) 278-7799.