who need additional assistance to improve their reading . Numerous sworn and civilian staff who served as “ reading buddies ” met with schoolidentified students for thirty minutes each week to provide mentoring and to read from a collection of books provided by the media specialist of that school .
Shop with a Cop
Each year the Garner Police Department partners with TT & E Iron and Metal , Inc . and other area businesses to provide a Christmas party and shopping opportunity to Garner area families who might not otherwise have a Christmas . With the assistance of local school counselors , families in need are identified and with TT & E ’ s generosity , the families are provided with a shopping budget and police officer escorts at a local retailer that allows for a Christmas celebration that would not otherwise be possible . Since its inception , the “ Shop with a Cop ” program has provided support for close to 500 children and their families .
Special Olympics
Raising money for Special Olympics has been a long tradition in law enforcement locally and nationally . Our agency participates by raising funds and participating in Special Olympics North Carolina . Fundraising events included Cops-on- Top sponsored by Chick-fil-A and T-shirt sales to the public . We also participate in the torch relay across North Carolina to increase awareness for Special Olympics .
Social Media
The Garner Police Department remains committed to using social media to engage our community and keep our followers updated on important information . During 2021 we notified followers of traffic related incidents , crime alerts , news releases , and even gave out the location of speed enforcement / DWI checkpoints . We realize that social media plays an important part in staying connected with the community .
GPD maintains a website as part of the Town of Garner ’ s website that can be accessed via
The Garner Police Department ’ s annual Shop with a Cop is made possible in part by the participation of many volunteers .
www . garnerpd . org or www . garnernc . gov / Departments / Police /. Our website allows citizens to receive information , send us information , and obtain copies of motor vehicle crash reports .
We currently partner with www . raidsonline . com to provide public crime statistics and crime mapping at no cost to the town or to the public . Public copies of crime reports are available from p2c . wakeso . net .
Garner Police also has a NextDoor account which can be located at www . nextdoor . com . NextDoor is a neighborhood-based platform where residents can connect with each other . The department maintains communication with neighbors through sending important safety information and crime alerts .
Garner Police maintains several social media outlets to keep everyone updated about current events .
GARNER POLICE DEPARTMENT 2021 ANNUAL REPORT 19