Detective Dawne Armitstead will be joining three other Massachusetts School Resource Officers for a Rotary Club Vocational Training Team trip to Kent, England from May 10-25. Fully funded by the Rotary International Club, Armitstead will be immersed in two weeks of progressive training centered around substance abuse, mental health, and threat assessment.
“We would not have been financially able to do this without the assistance of the Rotary Club,†said Chief Terence Delehanty. “We try to be as progressive as possible and this training will certainly benefit the department and the town.â€
In addition to learning skills from other communities, Armitstead will be responsible for presenting valuable information on ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) training and substance abuse. Other topics of discussion will include: vaping, mental health first aid, school security, and prevention policies.
“I am so proud of Detective Armitstead,†said Assistant District Governor for Rotary District 7930, Tom Hankard. “She takes her job very seriously and I know she is honored to have been selected for this opportunity. Dawne makes me proud to work and live in Winthrop and I am even prouder to have her represent the Rotary and the Winthrop Police Department abroad.â€
Selected after a rigorous interview process, Armitstead’s days and evenings will be packed with curriculum that involves both learning and training amongst British officers and fellow Massachusetts officers; Megan Tierney of the Newburyport Police Department, Dan Perenick of the Winchester Police Department and Paul Lucci of the North Reading Police Department.
The donations that have made Armitstead’s trip possible were provided by Rotary members and clubs to the Rotary Foundation, which is a five-star rated charity.
Rotary International is a service organization founded over 110 years ago and currently made up of over 1.2 million women and men worldwide. The Belle Isle Rotary Club was founded in 1938 and serves East Boston, Revere, and Winthrop. Rotary International uses the worldwide organization to partner with local police departments, here in Winthrop (as well as other school officers from Wakefield, North Reading, and Newburyport) and in the United Kingdom to learn and teach each other.