THE INFORMANT guest editor | officer aaron zemlock
Providing the Tools To Create Change Aaron Zemlock has been an officer with the Menasha Police Department for 17 years. In that time he has worked patrol and as a police school liaison. Officer Zemlock has extensive training in child abuse and exploitation investigations. He currently serves as the Community Liaison Officer and Public Information Officer for the department.
Officer Zemlock, what do you see as the most critical issues relating to public safety in this region of the state? Prescription drug abuse and the related increase in heroin use has quickly become one of the largest issues facing law enforcement in Northeast Wisconsin and throughout the state of Wisconsin. The sharp rise in overdoses and increased use of drugs to counteract the effect of opioids further supports the fact that this is a growing problem. Unfortunately there are also a lot of crimes associated with drug use, in particular; many crimes like burglary, robbery, and fraud can be directly linked to drug use and abuse. The dangers these drugs pose to the users and the community calls for an urgent and aggressive response from our law enforcement community.
“WELL TRAINED AND WELL EDUCATED OFFICERS ARE THE BACKBONE TO A STRONG DEPARTMENT AND A SAFER COMMUNITY.”
How does ongoing professional training for law enforcement impact its ability to effectively prevent crime and protect the communities they serve? Crimes and criminals are constantly evolving. Officers and departments need to do the same if they are to be effective in combating crime. Ongoing training helps prevent the static mindset of “We’ve always done it this way” by providing officers with the tools to make changes and improve their methods of detecting and fighting crime. Crime prevention is a mindset to be utilized by
every officer from patrol to the Chief. Well trained and well educated officers are the backbone to a strong department and a safer community. How can the training provided by FVTC aid departments in addressing these critical issues? The trainings offered in this bulletin offer a great opportunity to deal with some of the issues mentioned above. Drug Trends Among Youth: Flying High, Tripping & Crashing gives those working in the trenches with our youth the tools to help identify and assist those youth with their abuse problem. The Crime Prevention & Physical Security Surveys training should be attended by everyone in law enforcement and those who have a vested interest in protecting the people and property for whom they are responsible. Learning the practical applications of lighting, landscaping, and locks as they relate to building security is an essential tool for any officer. With department budgets getting tighter and tighter, Introduction to Grants: Plan for Success! can help departments get the funds needed to support exciting new or successful existing programs.
How have you, or your department, benefited from FVTC training? I’ve been fortunate to hold various positions with our department and each transition was easier and more successful due to the training I received at FVTC. Over the past 17 years in law enforcement, from recruit school until now, I have attended hundreds of hours of training through FVTC. The quality local and national trainers utilized by the college have provided incredible real life insight into many aspects of law enforcement. I am fortunate to work for a department that prides itself on keeping its staff well trained and it is comforting to know that because of that, our officers and citizens are safer.
“I AM FORTUNATE TO WORK FOR A DEPARTMENT THAT PRIDES ITSELF ON KEEPING ITS STAFF WELL TRAINED...” Each NCJTC quarterly training bulletin will feature a guest editor within the public safety sector. If you are interested in being a future guest editor, contact us at (888) 370-1752 or cjgrants@fvtc.edu.
Visit www.ncjtc.org/cjci/trainings for additional training information and to register online! | 5