A Visit with the Upper Darby Police

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Upper Darby Police Station

Upper Darby Police Superintendent Mike Chitwood offered to take Ignacio and I on a tour of the Upper Darby Police Station and learn a little about the day to day operations of the police department.  Upper Darby Township is a large, ethnically diverse community where over 70 languages are spoken.  The Township borders on the western part of Philadelphia and encompasses approximately 8 square miles. 

Upper Darby Police Chief Mike Chitwood and Ignacio

While speaking with Mike we learned that the Upper Darby Police Department currently employs 131 officers and  responds to over 70,000 calls for service per year.  UDPD has a Motorcycle Patrol Unit (in which Igancio was particulary interested), a SWAT team, a K9 unit and a Mountain Bike Unit. 

While at the Police Station we met with Sgt. Scott Lewis who explained the steps involved in processing a suspect.  This included a first hand demonstration of the fingerprinting process for Ignacio and a set of souvenir fingerprints!





Another highlight of the day was the ride in the Police car with Capt. Anthony Paparo.  We took a short tour around the neighborhood surrounding the Police Station and talked about the protocol for how the officers respond to calls and how having a visible police presence in the community can help deter criminals.

Thanks Captain Paparo and Sergeant Lewis for taking the time to meet with us for sharing your knowledge and expertise.

A special thanks to Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood for making the day happen!

Phillies versus Atlanta Braves, Sept 20

Baseball at Citizen's Bank Park.  It does not get any more American than this.
Ignacio, Rafa and I cheered the Phillies on to another victory over the Atlanta Braves on Monday, September 20th.
We spent a few hours tailgaiting outside the park with Bill, MJ and Will. 
Hoagies, tomato pie, bean bag toss, music and lots of Phillies fans geting all psyched for the game.

Bicentenial Event, Chilean Independence Day

On Saturday, we loaded up my sister's Honda Pilot and Cody, Ignacio, Chris, Rafa and I drove to Washington, DC for the Chilean Independence Day. September 18th marked the 200th anniversary of Chile's Independence from Spain.  Ignacio's Aunt, Trinidad, met us for Mass and then took the boys for a fun-filled weekend in Washington, DC.  I spent the evening with friends in Virginia and returned to pick the boys up from the Independence Day festival in Silver Spring MD on Sunday. 

The boys visited with Trinidad and her husband, had dinner in Georgetown at the Tombs and stopped by the Potomac River waterfront where they claim there were tons of parties on boats and yachts that I would not have believed.

Georgetown University moved up to top position for a college pick for Cody. 

Here are some pictures of the Independence Day Mass.

Independence Day - September 18th

Chileans celebrate their independence on the 18th of September. Their road to independence from Spain started on that date in 1810. Although they would have to fight for eight more years to earn their total freedom, Chile celebrates the 18th of 1810 with great fanfare. Chile officially proclaimed independence February 12, 1818.
The 18th, or "dieciocho," is celebrated during a week full of fiestas patrias. This includes parades, dances, drinking, eating traditional Chilean food, and music.

And some pictures of the boys in DC

The Prep Mixer

I am waiting for mixer pictures but I heard the boys loved the Prep Mixer and are counting down the days until the next one.
Rumor has it that Cody is ready to try out for Dancing with the Stars!
Pictures to follow....

Welcome Party, Sept 17 St Joe's Prep

The Prep students and teachers welcomed Ignacio and Rafaele after school on Friday, September 17th.
The boys recieved Prep tshirts, sports Jersey's and other memorabilia.
Pictures to follow....

Annual Luau

Saturday, September 11th

We attended the annual Luau at Bill and MJ's house.

The pig roast is always part of the luau and here is a picture of the pig just before it was devoured....

Cody and Ignacio posed for a picture with my brother and with MJ's Uncle Bob, who both also attended the Prep.

Cody, Uncle Bill, Uncle Bob and Ignacio...the 4 Preppers

Here are some other party pictures....

First Week of School

Cody and Ignacio have completed their first week of school.  So far, so good.  Ignacio likes all of his classes and his teachers.  We had a busy week getting all of the school supplies and books together.  Ignacio was particularly amazed by "Book Sox" which are these really cool, easy to use book covers.  We talked about how clever the person is who invented the book sox and how sometimes a simple idea is so brilliant!

Ignacio's classes include BioEthics, English, Government and Drawing to name a few.

The Mac Book arrived yesterday. This was thrilling.  Ignacio and Cody worked on getting everything set up and Ignacio loves it!

The week ended with Cody taking and passing his driver's license test.  Finally!