Highlights of January 12 Meeting

 

 

Chuck Flint was welcomed with applause after having been absent from our regular meetings in recent months.  Anita Kegler was present, and will be formally inducted into the club at our post-holiday celebration January 21.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dick asked our speaker, Lt. Bill Peters, to draw the winning ticket.  The ticket he drew belonged to Chuck Flint, making Chuck the automatic winner of the small pot of $35.  He also won the opportunity to try to draw the Ace of Clubs from the cards remaining in the deck.  If Chuck had drawn that evasive card, he would have won an additional $230.  The card Chuck drew was the Nine of Hearts,.  The large pot will be even larger next week.

 

 

 

 

Polly Cady said she felt privileged to have the honor of introducing Lieutenant Bill Peters.  He has been in the Mesa Police Department over 32 years.  He currently oversees the Special Victims Unit at the Mesa Family Advocacy Center.  Lt. Peters has worked in, or been responsible for, nearly every sworn and civilian area within the Mesa PD.

Lt. Peters holds a Master's Degree in Public Administration from Arizona State University, a Master's Degree in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University and a Bachelor's Degree in Public Administration from the University of Arizona.  He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police DRE Subcommittee.  Lt. Peters serves on the State LETR Executive board.  He is a past President of the Arizonan Chapter of the VBI National Academy Association and a two-time President of the Mesa Sunrise Rotary Club.

 

Mesa Family Advocacy Center was established in February, 1996.   It was the first victim/child advocacy center in Arizona.  There are currently 24 victim/child advocacy centers in Arizona and over 500 nationwide.  The Mesa center has been a model used by agencies across the Nation and abroad.

 

At the center, they utilize a multi-disciplinary team (MDTT) approach.  A coordinated response and system of investigation and prosecution intended to reduce the trauma experienced by victims of sexual assault, abuse or molestation.

 

Primary goals are to reduce further trauma to the victim, increase the quality investigations, reduce crime and recidivism and empower each victim.

 

Involved in the multi-disciplinary approach are:

 

Lt. Peters explained that Trauma-Informed Response begins with telling someone you trust something you don't want anyone to know.  There are six key elements:  safety, trust,. choice, empowerment, collaboration, and respect.  He shared some shocking statistics.  One in five women and 24.8% of girls 14 and under have been targeted,

 

During his presentation, Lt. Peters shared some personal quips.  He said when Jim McGown was on the force, Jim picked up a lot of drunks for him.  One of the things he thought was too good to be true about being a police officer was that he actually got paid to ride a motorcycle.  He said he has had a blessed career.  He has been on the force in Mesa longer than anyone else.  

 

He was asked some questions about human trafficking and said that would actually be a program in and of itself.  The one thing he did share was that in the past prostitutes were treated like criminals.  Today, they are treated like victims.  They are involve in a life they would never have chosen for themselves, and are nearly always under someone else's domination.