Derek Davis says a partnership between the Sarnia Police Service and Lambton College — designed to give students real-life experience while freeing up police resources — has exceeded his expectations in just a few months.
“We didn’t know how it was going to go,” Sarnia’s Police Chief said of the Community Crime Unit launched back in October 2023, for students in the Police Foundations and Border Services programs. “Lambton College was open, we were open, so we gave it a shot.”
Back in the fall, four second-year students were selected to work in the new unit, under the supervision of Const. Uriah Dodge, to take on lower-priority crimes in the city of Sarnia, like theft and shoplifting.
Their work involves investigating, gathering evidence, taking evidence, and assembling cases, Davis explained, noting an emphasis on reducing victimization in the community, including connecting people to outreach supports and services.
“These students actually investigate crimes,” he said. “We have created tools specifically for them to use: they upload pictures, they gather evidence, they attend a retailer, obtain video, come back, compare in the police database of other suspect photos, and they build a case.
“This is a hands-on opportunity that is, in my view, unheard of in terms of educational co-ops.”
And a lot has been accomplished in just a few months, Davis explained in a presentation to the SPS Police Board last week, pointing to 222 total occurrences for the Community Crime Unit, 106 arrests, 207 charges laid and 36 persons identified/success stories.
Their work allows the SPS to enhance responsiveness without taking police resources away from other issues in the city, he added.
“I can’t emphasize enough — this work that’s being done, probably, we never would have gotten to. We would just not have the resources and time and people to put to this in the traditional policing model.
“So these students are bringing tremendous value, not just to this organization, but to the community in general.”
The inaugural Community Crime Unit students include Dallas Baker and Jesse Hull from the Police Foundations program, and Liam Chicoine and Maddy Bishop from the Border Services program.
“They have done a tremendous amount of work building this from scratch,” Davis added. “It has really been a startup phase. As we move forward, a lot future generations of students will benefit from all the work this initial group has done.”
Liam Chicoine said his time with the unit has been an amazing learning experience.
“You can’t even compare it to anything you would learn in a classroom,” he said. “Going out in the community and hearing that their problems are heard, and that their crimes are solved… the numbers are amazing to look at and to see that we are making a difference.”