Recap from Johnson County Sheriff’s Office Tweet-along from Inside Jail

Did you miss Johnson County Sheriff’s Office Tweet-along from Inside Jail?  Not have a twitter account?  No problem, here's a recap from the tweet along held on October 25, 2012:

The tweet along was from inside Central Booking in Olathe.

 

 

Here is the recap in chronological order:

 

Here are some fans retweeting the announced tweet along:

 

 

And the tweet along begins....

 

 

I don't know about you all but I enjoyed it.  Hope they do another one!  (We won't mention that I was following the tweetalong while sitting in a meeting at work... made the meeting more interesting!)

 

Johnson County Sheriff’s Office to Hold First Ever Tweet-along from Inside Jail

The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office will he holding a first-of-its-kind tweet-along from inside the Central Booking Facility on Thursday, October 25 from 4-7 p.m.

Tweet-along events have become popular among police agencies, allowing followers to virtually ride-along with officers. The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office is taking the tweet-along to a whole new level, letting people virtually ride-along with deputies inside of a working jail.

Followers will experience what it is like to work inside a jail, what kind of inmates are booked and housed inside the facility and what really happens behind the walls of a jail. Followers can also ask questions concerning Central Booking and life in jail in Johnson County during the event.

The username for Johnson County Sheriff’s Twitter feed is @jocosheriff and the hashtag that will be used for this event will be #jocotweetalong

Gotta say I am excited about this.  It's an example of a law enforcement agency using social media to interact and engage the public...  A few months back I asked JCSO (via a tweet to their account) if they were going to do tweet alongs like KCPD does. Their PIO Tom Erickson not only responded to my tweet but retweeted it as a means to ask followers if it was something of interest and if so, how about a tweet along from inside the jail?  Sounds like I am taking credit for this idea, huh?   No, but I would like to think it came about because a question was asked and they followed through with it.   Social media can be a valuable tool and clearly Deputy Erickson has embraced it!  Looking forward to the tweet along Thursday and what other creative ideas are to come! 

Volunteering at the KC Marathon

Had a blast volunteering at the KC Marathon yesterday!

Worked as a course monitor which involved keeping traffic off the course so participants had a safe race.   We worked at the intersections KCPD didn't have officers to work at.  Generally officers will work the busier intersections and volunteers will monitor the less busy intersections.  Officers did check in with us periodically and we knew if we had a problem there was help a short distance away.

I was assigned the intersection at 17th and Main.  For the most part people were cooperative.  During one point in the race I had to cross the street and cut through a large group of runners to keep a guy from plowing on to Main Street.  He was a jerk but once I explained to him how he could get around the race and to his destination he calmed down.   It was a hair raising moment for a minute though as he had edged his way on to Main Street just a bit.  I got him turned around before it became an issue though.

After my intersection was clear and we were released by KCPD, I headed to the finish line to cheer for some friends.  Walked down to the corner right before the finish.  There were no volunteers there so a race official asked if I would help direct marathon runners to the right so they went in to the correct chute.  I didn't mind helping out since it still gave me an opportunity to see and cheer for friends.  When the kids run started I ended doing some crowd control so the kids and their parents didn't run in to the marathon runners.   Not sure why they had the kids run parallel to the marathon course but it wasn't the brightest idea.  The kids got out of their lane and in the marathoners way too many times.  Runners in the marathon were not happy and I can't say I blame them.  Could have caused some injuries.  Note to race organizers - if the kids run is going to run parallel to the marathon course have a barrier or many volunteers there so the kids can't cut in front of the marathon runners. Other than the kids run, I thought the race was pretty well run.

Got to say there's nothing quite like a thousand or more "thank yous" on a Saturday morning!  The runners were great!  Especially when I was dealing with the jerk who edged on to Main Street.  Got quite a few thank yous and claps for getting him turned around. 

I have to admit, I volunteered for purely selfish reasons... to get my motivation back to run!  It worked!  Got a nice easy 3 miles in yesterday and heading out soon for another easy run.  Not sure I'll run any more races this year but I will likely volunteer at one or 2 more before winter takes over.

It Only Takes A Moment

Someone sent this to me today and it touched me for a lot of reasons.  You never know when or how you might touch someones life.  To everyone who works in the service industry whether it be EMS, Fire, Healthcare, Law Enforcement, Military, Volunteering or the many other Service Professions... keep in mind every contact you make may not touch you, but that moment could make a huge difference in the persons life you touch!  Thank you for your service!


It Only Takes A Moment

It only takes a moment
to reach out to be a friend,
but to the one who needs you
the memory never ends.

A simple act of kindness
to a person you don't know
may plant a seed of friendship
that for them will always grow.

We sometimes lose perspective
of the difference we can make,
when we care more of our giving
and care less of what we take.

So remember that your actions
may help change a life someday.
Always think about the person
that you meet along the way.

For it only takes a moment
to reach out to be a friend,
but to the one who needs you
the memory never ends.

Next Volunteer Opportunity

My next volunteer gig is Course Monitor at the Kansas City Marathon next weekend...Saturday October 20, 2012. 

 



The race is held in Kansas City, MO so we (volunteers with the KC Marathon, the many local running clubs as well as local businesses) will be working with Kansas City Police Department to provide a safe course free of traffic for runners and walkers participating in the 5K, Half Marathon, Full Marathon, Marathon Relay and Kids Run.  Nearly 12,000 participants are expected!

It takes hundreds of volunteers to pull off a safe event this big.  If you would like to volunteer please follow this link:  http://www.waddellandreedkansascitymarathon.org/volunteers.php.  Volunteers will receive a long-sleeve event t-shirt along with free food and drinks at the Finish Line Festival as well as free entries into prize raffles, including Southwest Airline tickets.

I try to volunteer at one or more races a year to give back to the running community. Running has been part of my life since I was a kid in Junior High and decided track was a sport I wanted to try.  Running is a great stress reliever!   I was training for the Marine Corps Marathon to be held on October 28, 2012 but due to my unusual stress level this year I just haven't been putting in the appropriate training to successfully complete the marathon so I decided to defer it to next year.   (Training for a marathon is stressful in itself!)  By deferring my entry, I am guaranteed a spot in next year's race and have already put it on my calendar and mapped out my training plan so no excuses, next October a Marine will be putting a medal around my neck!   In the meantime, I thought volunteering at the KC Marathon might help get me motivated and out running again!  I'll follow up this blog entry with a report from that event. 

There are many volunteer opportunities available not only through Johnson County Sheriff's Office, but many organizations throughout the KC Metro Area.  Since the Johnson County Sheriff's Office Citizen's Academy has long been over for me, I will likely use this blog to continue to write about my volunteer adventures.  Keep checking back if you want to learn more about the many volunteer opportunities available and what adventure I get myself in to that relate to law enforcement or other opportunities. 

Volunteering at the Chiefs game...

Volunteered at the Chiefs game today. One of the volunteer opportunities available through the Red Cross is to staff First Aid stations at various community events such as Chiefs games. You have to have a health care background and be certified in FA & CPR to staff FA stations. Basically we assist fans with minor injuries and/or illnesses they experience in the parking lot before and after the game. We are available to assist fans during the game as needed but we aren't the primary providers inside.

Spent the 3 hours before the game driving a golf cart through the parking lot visiting with fans. Didn't get fed this time. Note to self: Look hungry next time! Fans get creative with their tailgating and are usually inviting us to join their party. It's always interesting volunteering at the game. Even had a KCPD cop cruising behind me in a golf cart at one point. Half expected lights to come on and to get pulled over! He laughed when I said I wasn't speeding. Never mind how many other traffic laws I might break while cruising thru the lot! :)

The perk of volunteering at the game is getting to go inside and watch the game. Now if the Chiefs would actually win one, geez!

Inside Arrowhead we don't have seats but rather stand in areas behind the seats. I tend to wander a bit to find locations that are easier for me to see. Because I wander I tend to be stopped and asked questions. Probably because I look somewhat official wearing 2 radios and an Id badge. Last game I ended up helping an 82 year old woman who had an accident in the restroom. I wouldn't have known she needed medical help if her grandson hadn't stopped me to ask for help finding her.

Some games are uneventful and I just hang out and chat with the security staff, cops and deputies working the game. KCPD and Jackson County Sheriffs Office work the Chiefs games. Today was pretty uneventful. Gave out a few bottles of water, declined to give a couple fans a ride (we aren't allowed to give fans a ride on the golf carts since they are only 2 seaters) and answered a few questions. The Deputies I was chatting with had to break up a skirmish between a chiefs fan and a bronco fan (why was a bronco fan at the chiefs-ravens game other than to cause trouble?). Otherwise it was a fairly quiet day, for me anyway...

Haven't signed up for another game yet but I'm pretty sure I will. Maybe the Chiefs will win one yet!