A Fingerprint on the Badge

As a police captain I was attending a community relations function at one of our local elementary schools. Several of the officers under my command were there to meet and interact with the kids.  The area in which the school was located was near several public housing developments and a good number of the kids were from one of these development.  My experience had taught me that these kids were a little afraid and skeptical of uniformed police officers.  Understanding how young kids might feel about police officers and wanting to change the negative perception, I would always advocate things to bring about a change.  When dealing with kids, such thing as getting down to the child’s level, face to face, smiling, being friendly and approachable are techniques which are tried and true and work well.   

Read On: A Fingerprint on the Badge