School Emergency Response Presentation at St. Helens Police First Thursday Program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 14, 2018

St. Helens, Ore. – The St. Helens Police Department is partnering with the St. Helens School District to give a community presentation on the coordinated response efforts between police and local schools in the event of an emergency situation at a St. Helens school. This presentation is part of the Police Department’s monthly First Thursday community meeting. The meeting will be held in the Columbia Center Auditorium, 375 S. 18th Street, on Thursday, January 3 at 7 p.m.

School Resource Officer Seann Luedke with the St. Helens Police Department and Assistant Principal Mark Janke with the St. Helens Middle School will talk about the standard response protocol, including lockdown, lockout, evacuate, and shelter procedures, that the St. Helens School District follows as a participating agency in the “I Love U Guys” program.

Officer Luedke will share how emergency responders, particularly police officers, work with the schools so that emergency responders are familiar with the training and expectations of students and school staff during a crisis.

The “I Love U Guys” Foundation works in the arena of school safety. Working with schools and first responders, they developed the Standard Response Protocol that gives students, educators, administrators, school staff, and first responders the same language and training to use so that everyone has the same expectations of behavior during a crisis. Recently, the Foundation has also worked to create a reunification plan so that schools have a blueprint for reuniting students with their parents after a crisis while maintaining accountability and accommodating mental health demands.

First Thursday is a monthly community meeting with the St. Helens Police Department held on the first Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. A new topic is presented at each meeting by a police officer or police staff related to community safety, crime prevention, police services, or seasonal-specific safety information. After a brief presentation, participants have the opportunity to ask St. Helens officers questions, find out what’s happening in St. Helens neighborhoods, and discuss any topics of concern with fellow community members and police.

The goal of First Thursday is to bring the St. Helens community and local law enforcement together once a month for meaningful conversation about the community. The meetings are an opportunity to make connections in the community, not just between police officers and residents, but also between neighbors.

The vision of the St. Helens Police Department is to provide professional police services that will secure public trust and keep our neighborhoods safe and free of crime. Our mission is to work with all citizens to make our city a place where people live safely and to promote individual responsibility and community commitment. 

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For further information regarding the St. Helens Police Department’s First Thursday program, please contact Communications Officer Crystal Farnsworth at crystalf@ci.st-helens.or.us or 503-366-8215.