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Community Outreach Programs
Blue Santa
Every Christmas Holiday you will find Santa making visits throughout our city wearing a blue uniform and driving a police cruiser. For many needy children in New Braunfels, the visit they get from the officers and staff at the police department for Christmas makes a big difference for them on Christmas Day. Our officers deliver hundreds of gifts in bright holiday wrappings and ribbons to families in need. The gifts vary from items of basic essentials to toys and bicycles. In many cases, these gifts may be the only ones kids receive for the holiday.
The funds to cover these gifts come from the generous donations of many businesses and individuals in the local area. The work to collect and wrap the gifts is organized and accomplished by members of the Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association and the New Braunfels Police Department. Every year approximately 100 families are visited by our Blue Santas who delivered over 1000 gifts to hundreds of children. The smiles and goodwill generated by those visits made it all worth the effort.
Interested in Helping? If you would like more information on how you can help, please contact the New Braunfels Police Department at (830) 221-4100 during normal business hours, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Operation: Intervention
In 2008, NBPD built a youth alcohol awareness and underage drinking education program that we call Operation Intervention. This program is in memory of 18 year old Anna Marie Hernandez who was killed by a drunk driver who was driving the wrong way on IH35 in New Braunfels December 6, 2003. Anna was the 2003 Valedictorian of South San High School in San Antonio and was attending college at UT-Austin with plans to enter the medical field to help others. The night she was killed she was driving home to San Antonio to see surprise her family a few days before of her 19th birthday.
The drunk driver, Anthony Ruiz, that struck Anna's car head on was 19 years old on the date of the accident. His blood alcohol level was almost two times the legal limit and he was driving the wrong way on IH35. He is currently serving a 15 year sentence in prison for Intoxication Manslaughter and 10 a year sentence for Intoxication Assault (served concurrently). Anthony Ruiz was denied his first attempt at parole in June 2013.
To date Operation Intervention has traveled all across the State of Texas and has been seen by thousands of teenagers and young adults. Participation in this program by our police department employees is not a full time job and is an additional duty over and above their daily roles as police department employees which shows how important the message this program conveys.
Operation Intervention uses current technology to relay an important message to the young people in our community, Don’t Drink and Drive! The program involves a public speaking/PowerPoint presentation education program that tells Anna’s story and the consequences of drunk driving. The presentation program can be offered in a school auditorium or meeting room with Audio/Video capabilities and has been seen by thousands of high school students in New Braunfels and all over Texas. The most popular part of our program is our Operation Intervention DWI Simulator. This state of the art trailer was built specifically for Operation Intervention and incorporates an interactive video game system that allows participants to actually see, hear, and feel how dangerous and difficult it is to drive a vehicle under the influence of alcohol. A few minutes in the Operation Intervention Simulator has proven to be an eye opening experience for many youth and adults alike. For more information or to request a visit from our Operation Intervention team at your next event, please contact Community Relations Officer Lucas Crawford at (830) 221-4166.
NBPD Explorers
The NBPD Explorers program is designed for young adults (ages 14 - 20) who have an interest in law enforcement as a career. The program provides an opportunity for actual police officers to mentor and educate young adults that want to pursue a career in law enforcement. The program aims to promote strong character qualities and leadership skills with an emphasis on integrity, communication, goal setting, professionalism, decision making, problem solving, task management, and stress management. The program also encourages recruits to get involved in their community and to set an example for others.
NBPD Police Explorers are expected to participate in three types of Explorer activities:
Community Activities - These are activities where the Explorers directly engage members of the community. These include being involved, organizing, facilitating, or assisting in special community events like meetings, banquets, seasonal events, fundraisers, community service/clean up events, police officer ride-alongs, etc.
Classroom Activities - These are activities that are the education, planning, and training side of the Explorer program. Recruits will meet weekly to study, practice for scenarios, and interact with various law enforcement officers.
Competition Activities - These activities are events where Explorer posts from around the region and state gather to compete with one another on a variety of law enforcement-related scenarios. These scenarios include: family violence disturbances, neighborhood disturbances, active shooter response, crime scene search, negotiations, building search, crash investigations, misdemeanor and felony traffic stops, and physical fitness. Competitions also include academic tests on topics like the Penal Code, the U.S. Constitution, and the Code of Criminal Procedure.
For more information about the NBPD Explorer program, please email us!
Email: explorers@newbraunfels.gov