Director J.W. "Skip" Bennett retired on June 30, 1999. After almost twenty years of service he set a standard for training that was second to none. The ideology was simple. Find the training that would make police officers better at what they do and do everything you can to provide them with equality training.
Above all, the ASSIST#14 staff and project works to enhance, upgrade and expand the in-service training needs of the honorable Chiefs and Sheriffs we serve in Southwestern Illinois, who are from the counties of Bond, Clinton, Madison, Monroe, Randolph, St. Clair, and Washington.
We also are proud to work with our senior partner, the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board, in a partnership that has been ongoing and dynamic since January, 1983.
Director J. W. "Skip" Bennett has been the Director of Training in Southwestern Illinois for both the Southwestern Illinois Law Enforcement Commission, beginning in 1977, and the ASSIST #14 Board, beginning in January of 1983.
Director Bennett began his career with a BA in Psychology from Washington University in 1961 and worked as a police officer for St. Louis City as well as St. Louis County. He received his Masters Degree in Counselor Education from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville in 1972, and worked for the University of Illinois from 1974-1977 as a Police Consultant providing technical assistance re "police facilities" in over 15 states. Director Bennett is the founder of the Belleville Area College Law Enforcement Academic Program and is a national/state published author with over 80 articles to his credit.
Director Bennett is also an ex-army paratrooper, poet, and the husband of Dr. Kay Bennett. The couple reside in Belleville, Illinois and have a retirement home with 40 acres in southeast Missouri.
Director Bennett was the 1994 recipient of the:
"Governor's Award in Law Enforcement Excellence"
Meth Labs (Written: 1-21-98)
Archimedes (Written: 2-4-98)
The Republic and Safe
Schools (Written:
3-21-98)
Letter To The President of the
United States (Written:
3-24-98)
School
Violence (Written:
5-27-98)
Community School
Policing (Written:
8-18-98)
Throw The Feral Blanket
Away (Written:
8-24-98)
Border Drug
Meltdown (Written:
8-28-98)
To The Editor:
METH LABS
(What's Cooking)
Our sister state, Missouri, is nationally referred to as a "Meth-Mecca". Missouri is in a full court press against the scourge of methamphetamine; aka, ice, crank, speed. Southern Illinois is unwittingly currently playing host to emigrant rats (meth providers/makers). Missouri's target hardening will result in a southern Illinois " bracement" re these nefarious rodents.
What's cooking is a Macbeth-like brew that is sure to fill the bowls of our young teens. Ask
Plano, Texas, about their kids on heroin. Will we soon be asking Carbondale or Caseyville (or any community in southern Illinois) about their seventh(7th) graders on meth? A drug more destructive than crack and as potentially violence laden as "Angel Dust". How far do we need to go before the conscience of this nation is shocked re young children having access and imbibing in one devil's brew or another?!
Meth labs have already imploded in the southwest and "fireballed" young children. Environmentalists should be outraged that there are noxious chemicals from "meth-making" in our air, water, and soil.
A gaggle of pundits, politicians, and fellow travelers are currently extolling the virtues of legalization. Can these specious beings really advocate government controlled and distributed "meth"? They have capitulated to the enemies of reason, morality, and humanity. For sure, the "best seller" in their Brave New World could be called " The Rout of Virtues".
When I was a St. Louis street officer in the early drug years (late 60's), the sinister drug merchants focused on the rich whites or poor blacks, depending upon cost and product. The whites did coke (hard as heck to obtain), and the blacks did speed. With few exceptions, kids were out of the loop. Today, kids are "market friendly" to these drug merchants and can afford any and all illicit drugs. This egalitarian leveling is a crisis tantamount to the fifth (5th) century A.D.'s Pax Roma downfall - wherein the world "vortexed" into the Dark Ages. Will ice/crank/speed be our Gauls from the North? As usual, the young, the poor, and the sick, will be the first victims.
J.W. "Skip" Bennett
Director of Southern Illinois
Law Enforcement Commission
Member of the Illinois Drug
Education Alliance
(IDEA Board)
Karolyn Nunnallee, the national president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, proffered a resounding argument against DWI drivers in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on February 2, 1998. The chronic drunk, however, needs to have his tool of destruction seized and sold at public auction; his car. North Carolina has got it right. Pray for Illinois and Missouri to follow. In southwestern Illinois, we're calling this "Kara's Law". Kara Morton and her daughter were the victims of a DWI driver.
For sure, we need a bi-partisan lever/effort in this uphill challenge.
J. W. "Skip" Bennett
Director of the Southwestern Illinois
Law Enforcement Commission
Iran, Nazi Germany, Stalin controlled Russia, and Saddam all had or have safe schools. These nations also are known for the Gestapo, KGB, and/or militant fundamentalists. Our nation eschews and systemically rejects the tyranny that comes with box cars to a perihelion; i.e., state terrorism.
What is there to do in a Republic to ensure "safe schools" - stipulating from the onset that occasionally breaches in a Republic are a given anomaly, vis-a-vis Jonesboro?
The Southwestern Illinois School - Law Enforcement Partnership has been working together for more than five years now, re the safe school issue. This consortium consists of the Madison and St. Clair Counties Regional Superintendent's Offices, the SIU-Edwardsville Regional Research and Development Services, local law enforcement leaders, Madison and St. Clair Counties State's Attorney Offices, and the Southwestern Illinois Law Enforcement Commission. Here are some of the solutions that have been proffered, debated, and in some instances are in place already, to wit:
But our "Jewel in the Crown" is an exciting School Resource Officer (SRO) Partnership that will meld the strengths and expertise of various disciplines into a fusion of ideas and even better solutions. We hope to have this initiative up and running by June of 1998. We have a long journey ahead. The sands and winds of time will change our course from time to time, but not our destination - "Safe Schools!"
J. W. "Skip" Bennett
Director of the Southwestern
Illinois Law Enforcement Commission
President Bill Clinton
White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.
Washington D.C. 20500
Dear President Clinton:
You have appointed a first class Drug Czar. Our War On Drugs (and it is a war) is just beginning.
Meanwhile, another significant member of your cabinet is for the "distribution of clean needles". To cut to the chase, said public policy would be:
And, exacerbating rather than reducing the spread of life-threatening viruses.
Please shut this misbegotten proposal down before it waxes into reality.
Sincerely,
J. W. "Skip" Bennett
Director of the Southwestern Illinois
Law Enforcement Commission
SCHOOL VIOLENCE
There is no silver bullet that will prevent all school violence in a democracy. We could, of course, make our schools over into a fortress. Few would/should opt for this option. We could and should make sure that handheld metal detectors are readily available for school officials and school bus drivers. A closed campus and uniforms would buy a ton of safety. So would citizen school duty (similar to jury duty). Mandated parental attendance during school orientation in August would go a long way of enlisting the most key element of all: "supportive parents". Both school and law enforcement officials should address parents at this orientation.
Meanwhile, our state and federal legislators may soon be under fire to appropriate funding that would finance armed security at all senior highs and middle schools - the 70,000 new local officers hired with federal assistance dollars may have to be shifted to the schools wherein ¾ of their working days would be on, or near campus.
NO! We're not going to get the thugs and street gangs to give up their guns. Many of the latter are in our schools now. No! We're not going to get law abiding Americans to give up their guns - not without a rebellion by millions of Americans.
Yes! There may be a new job requisite for school administration before this is all over - in that same will have to qualify and carry a firearm on campus. Is this a different country or what?! I for one am not too surprised by a nation that permits a waxing drug usage and a nation that has been debunking Dad, the family, and our Judeo-Christian values.
Mr. J. W. "Skip" Bennett
Director of the Southwestern Illinois
Law Enforcement Commission
For sure, the most critical turf police must hold, or take back, is that which is epicenter to our future - our schools. School zones must be a safe, challenging place to learn, grow and prevail. America will live or die in relation to how we rout gangs, drugs, guns, and violence on our campuses.
Many paeans have been sung to Community Oriented Policing - this is good. But, the first Community Oriented Policing is Community School Policing: indeed, a trio of parents, educators and officers in sync against the aborning pied pipers of recalcitrant destruction. Too many schools are zoos with the animals in charge, rather than responsible, competent, supportive leaders; i.e. teachers, parents, officers and administrators.
Let's all pray for this to happen - in, as well as out of school!
J. W. "Skip" Bennett
Director of the Southwestern Illinois
Law Enforcement Commission
I was a rookie St. Louis Metropolitan Police Officer in 1962, with a degree in Psychology from Washington University, and privy to aborning liberal safeguards we began to offer juvenile offenders in the early 1960's - amongst which was "confidentiality". We went from "share and shame" to "blame". Blame the parents, schools, cops, society, etc!
This systemic cancer is slowly receding. The Belleville News-Democrat's Editorial on August 24, 1998 titled Names and the news is long overdue.
For sure, we need to reveal the names of all juvenile predators. This residual blanket of protection for feral behavior should be shredded. Yes! Many errant juveniles change their anti-social, nefarious activities. No! They don't change without logical, hardball consequences.
J. W. "Skip" Bennett
Director of the Southwestern
Illinois Law Enforcement Commission
Our Drug Czar, General (retired) Barry McCaffrey has recently called for a "Border Czar" to coordinate the border abatement this nation needs re a massive flow of illicit drugs from Mexico into the United States. Indeed, this nation must find the will to reduce this hemorrhage to tertiary levels. No open and free society can be expected to eradicate this scourge entirely. But! It can and must reduce same to a trickle.
Meanwhile, another drug storm is waxing in Western Canada. There are reports that several hundred heroin users have died because of a "hot shot" and/or bad dope (too pure/potent). So!? Logical consequences. Solution? Don't do illegal drugs! But some Canadian authorities see it differently. They see free heroin distribution ala Switzerland's new and absurdly flawed public policy. If this tectonic shift occurs in pastoral Canada, we could be between dragons. For sure, the troops would need to come home and protect our borders - North and South. We are a sleeping Rip Van Winkle-like giant and I, a jeremiad. But then again, in the 1960's as a rookie St. Louis Police Officer, I remember when only the rich could afford cocaine. Is this a great country or what?!
J.W. "Skip" Bennett
Southwestern Illinois
Law Enforcement Commission
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