Over the past six years, Columbus Police Department Det. Darnell Madison has seen crimes committed by progressively younger suspects in the city. But instead of waiting for this to change, he decided to act.
“They were usually young men in this community,” Madison said. “And a lot of that comes from not having any type of guidance or being exposed to other things other than what they see every day.”
Last August, Madison founded the I AM Mentoring program in his free time, as a way to connect with young people in dire situations who may otherwise slip through the cracks.
While the mentorship program is still in its early stages, with 10 participants and three mentors, Madison has started to hold events at irregular intervals, hoping to connect with more young people in need of role models.
This Saturday, I AM Mentoring will host a car show at the Columbus Police Department at 1501 Main St. starting at 2 p.m., with the help of the 2nd Look Corvette Club. The event will also include a school supply giveaway, with supplies purchased from Madison’s own pocket.
“We wanted to do something different than you normally see, and the idea came up to do a car show,” Madison said. “… And we decided to incorporate it into back-to-school because we know kids need supplies and a lot of young folks like exotic cars, different kinds of cars, so it was perfect timing.”
Madison is hoping to reach “as many as possible” through the event, to ensure students in the city both have school supplies and the opportunity to put faces to some of the city’s police officers who are volunteering their time.
“A lot of times, the younger generation, when they look at police officers, they only see police officers,” Madison said. “They don’t really get to see us as human beings or people outside of the uniform, and they don’t know us. This was a way for me to allow the young men but also the community to not just see the uniform, but that I’m a person too.”
Though I AM Mentoring is not an official CPD program, Madison said he has received support from his fellow officers, including Chief Joseph Daughtry, who allowed the car show to be hosted in the department’s parking lot, as a central location in the city.
Daughtry said his department has partnered with many organizations for giveaways in the past, and he is glad to support Madison’s desire to give back to the community.
“All of my officers, I push them to the limit,” Daughtry said. “Anything that any of them wants to do to help our children, especially in the times we’re in now where our young people … feel like they have no hope and feel like they have no future, and they’re throwing things away by shooting and stuff like that — anything we can do to help them, we’re behind them 150%.”
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
Join the Discussion