CCD's COPS Program Prepares a New Generation for Public Safety Careers

As a member of Center City District’s safety patrol, Officer Daricnell Abreu never has the same day twice. Some days, she’s running dispatch in the command center, making sure everyone stays in the loop. Other days, she’s out directly engaging with people in Center City.

One day on patrol, she came across someone who had passed out on the sidewalk and needed help. When he woke up, he said he was hungry, so she walked him to the Hub of Hope for help.

Both sides of the job suit Officer Abreu. Her goal is straightforward: to become a detective in the Philadelphia Police Department. Her first step toward that goal, in high school, was the department’s Police Explorer Cadet Program — but then came a hitch: cadets complete the program at 20, a year before they’re eligible to enter the police academy.

CCD’s role in public safety

Since our founding in 1991, CCD has stewarded a clean and safe Center City Philadelphia in numerous ways, including our foundational community service representative (CSR) and sidewalk cleaning programs.

As needs have changed over time, so has CCD, adding programs like homeless outreach services and, most recently, a bike safety team — unarmed, uniformed patrols that interact with the public and respond to incidents. The challenge was finding people who see public safety as more than a short-term gig.

For decades, the PPD’s Police Explorer Cadet Program has offered a way to attract young people interested in law enforcement, giving 14- to 20-year-olds direct training with police officers, though with limited field experience. In this case, the challenge was the yearlong gap between completing the Police Explorers and starting the police academy: many cadets move on to other career paths and never return to pursuing their interest in law enforcement.

CCD and Allied Universal Security Services launched the Community Oriented Public Safety (COPS) program in spring 2025 to solve both problems at once: helping recruit CCD safety patrol staff and giving cadets a bridge to the police academy that includes valuable real-world experience.

“By attracting mission-driven individuals from the Police Explorer program, COPS aims to address employee turnover challenges, cultivate a dedicated talent pipeline, and build a professional workforce committed to community safety and public service,” said John Crichton, CCD’s senior manager of public safety operations and a retired police officer.

Where the program stands now

Officer Abreu was one of the first to join the COPS program last year. She joined as a safety patrol officer and was promoted to a command center dispatch position, thanks to her strong communication skills. Now, she’s in the process of entering the police academy and says the COPS training has been invaluable for growing into a law enforcement career.

“The COPS program helps you get the mindset of being on patrol and helping the community. It also allows you to get to know officers and resources that can guide you before you get into the academy,” she said.

“This job has helped me with engaging with the community, talking to people with different backgrounds and different stories, and honestly, just helping others,” she added.

So far, the COPS program has welcomed eight people to the team since its inception, including several who have grown into supervisory positions on the broader safety patrol. Two of the newest hires, Genesis Yzaguirre and Rohanna Green, first learned about the Police Explorers in high school and joined COPS this summer.

“I’ve always been interested in being an officer since I was in elementary school. In high school, they showed us videos about the Police Explorers program, and I don’t know why, but I just got attached to it,” Green said.

Both graduated high school with the same goal: becoming police officers. The COPS program is how they’re preparing to get there.

“What I hope to get out of this program is more experience and knowledge of what being a cop is, and what I will go through as a cop so I can be more prepared for anything that comes my way in the field,” Yzaguirre said.

“It’s showing me things that mean I will have to strengthen myself in order to be a cop, and I’m loving that,” Green added.

Learn more

While many of Center City District’s programs, including sidewalk cleaning and our community service representatives, are funded through assessments, our bike safety patrol and COPS program rely on donations and ongoing support. Learn more about the impact of our public safety work and consider making a donation to keep this important initiative going.