Cops for Kids
builds solid foundation for community policing
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Last spring,
35 Calgary youth attended Tim Horton's |
By Josh Stewart
Calgary Cops for Kids is a successful new Calgary Police Service community-policing program that helps young boys and girls gain a more positive understanding of the role of police.
The Cops for Kids
program, launched last spring, brings officers and boys and girls together
for sporting events, educational activities, and other opportunities often
inaccessible to many Calgary kids.
The program is a partnership between the Boys and Girls Clubs Community
Services of Calgary, the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Calgary and Area,
and the Calgary Police Service.
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"Partnership is the foundation of community based policing," says Cops for Kids coordinator, Calgary Police Sgt. Dave Harty.
Every month or so,
Calgary police officers volunteer to take a group of kids to Calgary Flames
games, the Calgary Zoo or Heritage Park. The volunteer officers hope the
kids will have some fun and see the police in a more realistic way.
"A lot of times, these kids only see cops refereeing domestic disputes
or pulling over people for speeding. This program helps kids see police
officers in a positive light," said Harty. The mentoring program
also gives many Calgary kids opportunities they may not otherwise have.
One of the highlights of the program was a weekend trip to the Tim Horton's Ranch in Kananaskis. Thirty-five kids from Boys and Girls Clubs Community Services learned about different aspects of policing and had a close look at the HAWC 1 police helicopter.
The weekend was so successful it will likely become an annual event.
"We are hoping that next year we get 42 kids out with 10 or 11 officers," said Tina Brillantes, manager of club services at the Boys and Girls Clubs Community Services of Calgary.
Sponsorship for the program is provided by Transalta Corporation, three Calgary Safeways and Greyhound Canada.
The program began with only 14 children and 11 officers and is now supported by over 50 cops and a waiting list of 80 to 100 kids.
