Anne Arundel Police Release App for Crime and Bullying Tips

The "AACOPD Speak Out" app is geared toward getting younger people involved in crime prevention.

Like many police departments, Anne Arundel County police often find useful information for preventing crime and bringing criminals to justice through anonymous phone calls and emails. But in an effort to increase the involvement of teens and young adults, the department is introducing a smartphone application that allows someone to submit tips to the department directly from their phone or tablet. The "AACOPD Speak Out" app is now available online and for Android Products and is expected to be available in the iTunes App Store later this week, according to a department press release. Cpl. William Davis, assigned to Old Mill High School, began using his nine years of experience as a student resource officer to develop the app one month ago…

•  6 Comments
• Photos (1)

KAREN SMITH

10:02 pm on Monday, January 21, 2013

I THINK ADMINSTRATIN NEEDS TO STEP UP TO THE PLATE AND FACE CIRCUMSTANCES ON ALL INCIDENTS/BULLYING REPORTED....ALL SWEPT UNDER THE TABLE FOR A CLEAN REPUTATION!!   more ›

Martial Artist's 'Life Calling' Devoted to Bully Prevention

Joe Van Deuren didn't find his "life calling" until he was 40, but since then has devoted 18 years to helping kids overcome bullying at his Annapolis-based martial arts studio.

The National Education Association reports that nearly 1/3 of all school-aged children are affected by bullying on a monthly basis—a statistic that Joe Van Deuren has committed his life to changing. But it wasn’t until he was 40 that the Edgewater man figured out that his “life calling” was to help kids overcome bullying and to stop it in the early years of their development. Now, as the leader of Balanced Life Skills Martial Arts in Annapolis, Van Deuren is developing a systematic and almost scientific way of combating bullying and sharing it with the community in weekly workshops. After watching his youngest child, now 24, progress through all the levels of schooling, Van Deuren is now teaching kids how to stop bullying in classrooms and…

•  1 Comment
• Photos (2)

POLL: Will Lady Gaga Agree to Have Dinner with the Governor, First Lady?

The governor reportedly invited the pop star to dinner to discuss anti-bullying efforts via Twitter earlier this week, according to The Washington Post.

In a tweet he sent earlier this week, Gov. Martin O'Malley invited pop superstar Lady Gaga to join him and first lady Katie O'Malley for dinner to talk about ways to stop bullying in Maryland, according to a report in The Washington Post’s Maryland Politics blog. “@LadyGaga thanks for your advocacy against bullying. Katie & I would like to invite you to dinner to discuss eliminating bullying in MD,” he wrote in the tweet. The cause is one they both share. This fall, Odenton Patch reported that the governor teamed up with executives from both Facebook and Time Warner to urge parents and students to sign an anti-bullying pledge. Katie O'Malley posted a video on her blog at the beginning of the school year encouraging educators and …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (2)

Parent and Student Surveys Help Public School System Align Priorities to Needs

Anne Arundel County asks for public input on engagement and bullying surveys.

Anne Arundel County Public Schools would like to see parent and student input on two surveys, an engagement survey and a bullying survey. Both of the surveys are intended to help the school address parent-school partnership improvements and to enhance safety of students in schools. School spokesman Bob Mosier said 27,000 surveys have been completed in the past two years. “AACPS has used the results to cultivate outreach efforts to further involve parents and community and business partners,” Mosier said in a release. Engagement: In the first survey, the school system asks questions about how parents interact with their child’s school. Is there a welcome feeling when you go into the building? Are you informed about events and activities? …

• Photos (1)

Moms Talk Q&A

Beating the Bully

Greater Annapolis Patch invites you and your circle of friends to help build a community of support for mothers and their families with weekly topics.

Patch invites you and your circle of friends to help build a community of support for mothers and their families right here in Greater Annapolis. Each week in Moms Talk, our Moms Council of experts and smart moms take your questions, give advice and share solutions. Moms, dads, grandparents and the diverse families who make up our community will have a new resource for questions about local neighborhood schools, the best pediatricians, 24-hour pharmacies and the thousands of other issues that arise while raising children. Moms Talk also will be the place to drop in for a talk about the latest parenting hot topic. Last week county school officials and county police participated in a seminar at Anne Arundel Medical Center to talk about the …

•  2 Comments
• Photos (1)

Lea Hurt

11:44 am on Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Very true, Jen. Speakers at last week's bullying seminar repeatedly said that the parent is the best advocate. We'd love to think that the schools will uniformly apply the exact standards set out in the student handbook every time, but it doesn't always happen. As a parent, I accept that I am the one responsible for helping my children deal with whatever life throws at them- at school, at the …   more ›

The Truth About Bullying

Experts urge parents to empower children to deal with bullies.

Geneva Moccia is frustrated. Her 7-year-old son, who has a disability and language disorder, is the target of bullies at his elementary school. “He’s been pushed, knocked down and called names,” she said. “I continue to work with the school, but I don’t accept the ‘kids will be kids’ attitude. I think the school plays it off and I want to know what to do.” Moccia and about 50 other parents and community representatives met Tuesday night at Anne Arundel Medical Center for a seminar, “The Truth About Bullying.” Lucia Martin, Anne Arundel County school resource counselor, led audience members and a panel of professional and community representatives in a discussion on bullying in area schools. The topic garnered national headlines last week …

• Photos (8)

AAMC to Host Seminar on Bullying

Along with the hospital, the interactive event includes Anne Arundel Community College, county Public Schools and county Police.

Bullying can grow into a serious problem. And many people have dealt with or are trying to deal with its repercussions. Not the least of whom was President Obama, who recently admitted he had been bullied as a boy while announcing a White House conference on bullying. And now a free interactive event at Anne Arundel Medical Center in Parole will be held to help local parents and their kids deal with the problem firsthand. The Truth About Bullying is open to the public and is a collaboration between the hospital, Anne Arundel Community College, county public schools and the county Police Department. The event will tackle questions such as, how do you know if your child is being bullied? What can you do about it? Could your child be the …

• Documents (1)