Darton faculty, staff, students feed Albany Police

ALBANY — Members of the Albany Police Department enjoyed a free hotdog lunch Monday prepared by members of the Darton State College Criminal Justice Department, Criminal Justice Club and eCampus eMajor online degree program, who hosted a “Feed the Force” event at the Law Enforcement Center in downtown Albany.

“We are grilling franks to show our thanks,” said Darton State College Associate Professor of Political Science Sarah Kuck. “We’re doing this for two reasons. One, we are a community institution and we like to take care of our people. We take care of our community.

“And the second thing is this is the Criminal Justice Club at Darton and the eMajor collaborative degree and organizational leadership, and we have lots of police officers as students. In addition to taking care of them through advising and in the classroom, this is a way for us to show some respect for the work that they do.”

Kuck said four Darton faculty members, one school staffer and five students who are members of the Criminal Justice Department, volunteered to make sure that officers got a lunch of hotdogs, chips, pound cake and a drink, as well as a free T-shirt and other eMajor goodies.

“They’ve been surprised and pleased,” she said of the reaction from officers.

“There’s been lots of laughter, too,” added Jenny Collins, Darton’s communications manager. “It’s been good fellowship.”

Topaz Canty, a Darton student who is a member of the Criminal Justice Club and has also served on the police force, said making the decision to volunteer her time for the event was an easy choice for her.

“It’s nice to give back,” Canty said. “They serve us, they help protect us, so it’s best to give back to them.”

Officers who stopped by the event, which was held in the Law Enforcement Center parking garage, to enjoy some dogs and fellowship, were all smiles as they enjoyed the community thank you.

“I think it’s an excellent idea, and we appreciate them coming out and serving our officers,” said Maj. Reginald Brown, commander of the APD uniform division. “We’re always willing to accept community support. It’s a great thing, and it lets us know that we’re doing something right.”