During December, Allentown Rotary was fortunate to have Allentown Police Department (APD) Chief Charles Roca and Allentown School District Administrator Dr. Stanford share their experiences, passion, commitments and plans with the club.
Chief Roca is an Allentown native and King's College grad who is building a culture of professionalism for the APD with a focus on community outreach, an area where he is adding several new officers. On the tech front, he is considering FUSUS, a cloud-based Real-Time Crime Center map interface. His department will continue to enhance and grow its partnerships with the community, noting that APD is already very attractive to new and transferring officers because of its strong community ties. When Dr. Stanford, the new Allentown School District Superintendent, spoke with the Club via Zoom, his focus on the students, his experience in school finances, and his willingness to coordinate with groups like Rotary to help address ASD challenges came through loud and clear during the 
extensive Q&A.
extensive Q&A.During his talk, Dr. Stanford pointed to the ASD website for a dashboard of COVID information and special school efforts like the "Leaders of Tomorrow." He said that in order for the city to reach its aspirations for the future, ASD must be at the center of city's efforts as it educates and prepares the next generation of citizens. Dr. Stanford also pledged to work with Rotary on the shared goal of supporting the education of Allentown students, especially those at the Union Terrace school.