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By DONALD MOTTERN | Staff Writer

CALERA – The Calera Police Department, with their Calera Accountability and Success Through Education (CASE) program, will host the program’s very first Parent Night event next month.

Currently scheduled to take place for one hour on Thursday, Feb. 22 from 6-7 p.m., the event will be held at Calera’s City Hall, at 7901 Highway 31, and will focus itself on the topic of online safety.

“Come and be a part of our enlightening event,” read a post from the Calera Police Department on CASE’s Facebook account. “This is an excellent opportunity for parents to acquire valuable knowledge about online safety for our kids.”

The CASE program was first organized in the latter half of 2023 with the express concern of combining prevention, intervention and education efforts within the city of Calera to better influence and educate students and parents in the community. Since that time, Calera’s student resource officers have gained certifications and trainings that have led them to present age-appropriate classes on both online safety and vape cessation in all of Calera’s schools.

In the future, it is the goal of the program to further include speakers brought into schools, expand training opportunities and further involve parents in the program.

“I think it’s important because this is a city effort within our schools,” Calera Police Chief David Hyche said. “We want to communicate with the parents and later down the road we’re also going to have training opportunities for the parents as well. I think it’s just a wonderful thing. I’m so grateful that we have the ability and the personnel to do this.”

While the exact topics pertaining to online safety that will be discussed during the Parent Night have not yet been released, Hyche and the Calera Police Department have all been vocal regarding instances of online sexual extortion that they say have occurred in an alarming trend nationally and among students in the local community.

“I believe that this crime is much more widespread than we think and AI is making it easier (for) the criminals,” Hyche said. “This growing threat needs much more attention from law enforcement, schools, parents and law makers.”

Those seeking more information about CASE’s upcoming Parent Night, or about the CASE program in general, are encouraged to contact Officer Sergeant Grant at 205-668-3888.

The Calera Police Department also wish it to be known that the Parent Night event will be open to both residents and non-residents of the city of Calera and encourages all to attend that can.