INDIO –
Chief for a Day
In January 2012, then newly appointed Chief of
Police (and Indio Noon Rotarian), Richard Twiss
attended the ribbon cutting ceremony for the
rebranding of the John F. Kennedy Math and
Science Magnet Elementary School. Little did
he know that his personal escort for the morning’s events would be six grade student and
Peacemakers program member James Neurberger. Three months later, a March 2012 field
trip to the Indio Police Station was facilitated for
the Peacemakers program by members of the
Citizens Helping Indio Police (CHIP) and Cadet
Volunteers. This is Chief Twiss’ story of how
sixth grader James Neurberger later became
Indio’s first Chief for a Day on June 19, 2013.
During a community event honoring public safety in 2012 a
friend bid on and won a ride-along with me. Acting on his suggestion, I decided to instead select a child from the community
who would benefit from spending the day with me. I broached
the idea with my executive team, who quickly embraced the
concept. We soon began the process of selecting our recipient.
Concurrent with the selection process, I continued to spend time
with James, who tragically experienced the loss of his biological
mother and uncle within a close timeframe. Furthermore, James
was struck by a vehicle while walking through a parking lot and
called the incident into our dispatch center. During his call, he
asked if I could personally respond to the call.
The fact that James had suffered multiple tragedies during
the latter part of 2012 was not apparent. He retained the same upbeat, positive attitude that I had witnessed during a public safety
display event hosted by the Heritage Palms Country Court. James
attended the event as the guest of the principal of Indio Middle
School. It was at this event that I was able to spend time with
James, offer my condolences for his familial losses and apologize
for not being able to respond to his dispatch call. In typical James
demeanor, he assured me that he was okay, understood that I was
top to bottom? Chief Twiss pictured with Indio’s Chief for the Day
James Neuberger. A warm thank you note from the John F. Kennedy
Peacemakers.
FALL 2013 | California Police Chief
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