By Pat Lawrence
Jennifer Douglas, Director of WVCP. |
When Jennifer Douglas graduated from Bluefield State College, her
first job was coordinator of a new program operated by the West Virginia
Citizens Conservation Corps, the agency originally established to
provide work for men during the depression. After five years, the
statewide West Virginia Courtesy Patrol is an unqualified success
story and an innovative model for government intervention.
The premise is certainly appealing -a corps of men and women, instructed
in public relations, certified in first aid and equipped with basic
tools and two way radios, travel the state’s highways helping
distressed motorists, every hour of every day on interstates and major
corridors. However, the courtesy patrol is more than a tourist-tending,
state funded PR program. The Courtesy Patrol is a life changing welfare-to-work
project recognized as a national model for its operational practices
and innovation in job creation.
Jennifer says they contract with the state to provide free service
to travelers in need - of gas, jumper cables, directions, first aid
or even help with a flat tire. They also investigate abandoned vehicles
and remove animals from the road. Jennifer says, “Each driver
of the 25 patrolled areas is responsible for a 30-35 mile segment.
We transport motorists to the next exit or sometimes, to a parts store.
Ours is the only free national assistance program that operates 24/7
statewide. Our drivers don’t do major repairs but they can help
travelers with common highway emergencies.”
It takes about two weeks for the initial training, which includes
defensive driving, first aid and CPR, but training is ongoing. Courtesy
Patrol drivers learn about tourism, customer service and talking with
the media. They attend sexual harassment seminars and spend time riding
with an experienced driver on all three shifts.
Drivers are also taught to spot potential problems on bridges and
barricades. After 9-11, they began receiving special education in
homeland security from the FBI. They are partners with the office
of Emergency Services and in the Amber Alert program. The Courtesy
Patrol job description includes monitoring bridges and mountain overlooks
for suspicious activity. Each truck covers 320,000 miles a year. According
to Jennifer, now the Director of the WVCP, “We’re the
eyes and ears for the state!”
Jennifer has seen the program exceed all expectations since she started
in November of 1998. It is now a $3.7 million contract, the largest
program in the state’s CCC, employing over 140 people. Over
35% of them are women. “We work with the Department of Highways
and have partnerships with the Department of Human Resources, the
Department of Motor Vehicles and Bureau of Employment Programs.”
CCC headquarters are in Beckley, but the communications and dispatch
center for the Courtesy Patrol is in McDowell Country, home of the
original CCC.
Originally, Jennifer interviewed candidates herself, but now field
supervisors do the interviews, along with background and criminal
checks. Many field supervisors are drivers who have moved up. She
says, “Over 600 people have gone through the program. Most stay
two years and then transfer into something better. We have the highest
job retention rates in the nation for welfare-to-work projects.”
Under Jennifer’s administration, the WVCP was awarded the 1999
Outstanding Business/Employer Recognition Award from the WV Welfare
Reform Coalition and the 2000 Stars of the Industry Award from the
WV Division of Tourism. The John F. Kennedy School of Government at
Harvard University placed WVCP in the top 10 of more than 200 programs
in the southern region in 2000-2001. The WVCP was also featured at
the US Dept. of Labor’s National Welfare-to-Work Conference
as a national model for “best practices in welfare-to-work for
the year 2000.” Jennifer received the WV Executive Magazine
2001 Young Guns Award, selected for her professional accomplishments,
contributions to the community, commitment and dedication.
Jennifer says, “Our strengths are in getting people job ready.
The program has an individualized educational component attached.
It may be vocational school, GED or college. We have a ‘learn
and serve’ program in mechanics and a new partnership with Rahall
Appalachian Transportation Institute. Some of our courtesy drivers
have become truck drivers, some work in juvenile detention; some become
counselors, mechanics, EMTS and LPN’s. Some have chosen tourism
related jobs. Where ever they go, they are different people when they
leave than when they come here.”
Jennifer played basketball and majored in criminal justice administration
with a minor in psychology. Apparently that’s the perfect background
for helping make roadways more welcoming for the traveling public
and helping make the world more welcoming for hundreds of West Virginians
in need of a jumpstart of their own.
Send an Email About This Article