Lower Township Police and Students Unite for ‘Hands All Together’ Presentation

ERMA – Officers from Lower Township Police Department and students from Lower Cape May Regional (LCMR) High School’s “Peer Leader” program joined together to give a presentation to LCMR junior and senior classes June 6 and 7.
The group of officers and students presented the classes with the nationally acclaimed “Hands All Together” program, which consisted of a PowerPoint presentation containing real world videos and scenarios with students playing the roles of the citizen.
The presentation included several topics on how encounters between the police and citizens are changing rapidly and will continue to evolve. The presentation provides advice on how both citizens and law enforcement need to handle encounters.
Most police interactions with the public are uneventful — handled with courtesy, professionalism, and respect, — however, every day seems to bring another incident that causes public concern about the training and conduct of police officers. Unfortunately, the consequences of individual events can quickly overshadow the daily valor and service of the police and, in turn, undermine the public trust required for effective law enforcement.
During every encounter, law enforcement professionals must remain careful — for their own and the public’s safety. They must also be well-trained to de-escalate interactions and maintain calm with the public. 
While the overwhelming majority of police-citizen encounters are legal, peaceful and polite, situations can quickly escalate and get out of hand. Given this reality, there are ways to stay safe and effectively protect everyone’s rights. The presentation was developed to show that everyone should remain mindful that citizens and the police share a common goal for the end of the day; getting home safely. 
This program will be an annual presentation to the LCMR High School students and will be modified as necessary to address current trends or issues facing the public and law enforcement.