By Hannah Poling
Staff Writer
Travis Carter, a deputy with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department attended the March 10 Pleasant Township board meeting to discuss a student extern program in the community outreach and engagement unit.
“This program provides college students with an opportunity to spend 12 weeks working with the community while creating an initiative or event that they will implement at the end of their externship, with an overriding purpose of establishing a positive relationship between the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and the communities we serve, while gaining a unique perspective on law enforcement,” said Carter.
These events are projects that college students in the program are doing within the program for credit:
• Operation Street Smart. What’s Next? This is an education program for parents, that teaches them how to identify the use of drugs in youth. This event will be held on April 4 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Prairie Township Community Center, 5955 West Broad St.
• Dog Days with Deputies is partnering with the Franklin County Dog Shelter for an adoption fair. Deputies from Franklin County and officers from the Columbus Police Department Therapy K9 unit, will be in attendance. This event will be held on April 2 from 3 to 6 p.m. at Capital University on the Renner Lawn.
• The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office is partnering with the Grove City Food Pantry to collect canned fruits and vegetables, personal hygiene products, canned meat, hamburger/tuna helper, and boxed mashed potatoes through March 27.
• Lunch and Learn is an informational series that examines issues affecting central Ohio through discussions with specialists in the field. Session one, discussing law enforcement and mental health, will be held on April 29. Session two, dealing with the issue of human trafficking, will be held July 29. Session three, discussing the opioid epidemic, will be held on Oct. 28. All sessions will begin at 11:30 a.m. and run to 1 p.m. They will be held at 900 North Hague Ave. in Columbus.
