100-member team of Jamaican-American cops visit island this month

A 100-member-strong mission from the Jamaican-American Law Enforcement Organization (JAMLEO), comprising officers in the New York Police Department (NYPD), will arrive in Jamaica on April 26 for a three-day visit to uplift and empower students at Unity Primary School in Westmoreland.

This will be the third such visit by JAMLEO to schools in Jamaica. The first visit in 2024 focused on schools in St James where they visited Mount Alvernia and Cornwall College and the second visit last year focused on Marcus Garvey Technical High School in St Ann.

The visit this time around will last from April 26 to April 30.

The organisation has sent some eight barrels of goods and school supplies which will be distributed among students at Unity Primary School.

They will also conduct a wellness day. The organisation will also, like in the past, provide tuition grants for students.

On April 28, JAMLEO will host a Humanitarian Day at Unity Primary School, which was severely impacted by Hurricane Melissa. The event will feature a full day of engaging activities for students alongside Detective Dillon Stewart and a library dedication in Stratbogie, Westmoreland.

“We are proud to stand united as law-enforcement officers from various agencies throughout the New York City area,” said JAMLEO President Danae McFarlane, a lieutenant with the NYPD Intelligence Division. “[We] dedicated to enhancing educational resources and fostering a positive learning environment in our homeland. Last year we dedicated over $1 million to Marcus Garvey High School and, this year, we are committed to doing the same.

“Jamaica is where our dreams and ambitions began, and it is our duty to give back to its people,” said NYPD Sergeant Edmund Small, co-founder of JAMLEO and vice president of the NYPD Sergeants Benevolent Association, the largest supervisory police union in the United States with 13,000 members. “By supporting the youth in Jamaica, we hope to inspire them to pursue their dreams.”

The NYPD’s JAMLEO comprises of more than 500 law-enforcement professionals of Jamaican heritage.

A service of remembrance and tribute will be held on April 29 at Savanna-la-Mar United Church in Westmoreland, honouring NYPD Detective Dillon Stewart, a former student of Unity Primary School, who tragically lost his life in the line of duty in Brooklyn on November 28, 2005.

editorial@gleanerjm.com