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| 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.
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| 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!
