Local News - November 2003

Kids and cops connect

Battleground students bond with officer

By ALICE SMITH, Staff Writer

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Their questions came rapidly and randomly.

“How do you fight all that crime all day without getting tired?”

“When do you use your guns?”

“Where do you get that belt that holds all that stuff?”

“Do y’all eat donuts?”

Students in Judy Shuford’s second grade class at Battleground Elementary School got to meet their own personal police officer last week, as part of the Lincolnton Police Department’s Adopt-A-Cop program.

Second graders in all local elementary schools get to take part in the program, which is a coordinated effort between the Lincolnton Police Department and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.

Police Officer Neil McKinney was just as excited about the opportunity as the kids were.

“This is what I enjoy — I get to meet y’all,” he told the class.

During the beginning of his presentation, the kids were quiet, staring wide-eyed at his uniform.

They answered questions timidly, but as the minutes ticked by, became increasingly comfortable.

As McKinney told them about the Adopt-A-Cop program’s end-of-year picnic, heads popped up and excited whispers spread through the classroom.

The picnic is a celebration for kids who complete the program. It gives them a chance to meet other law enforcement officers and firefighters, see helicopters and police K-9s and to hang out with their friends.

The Adopt-A-Cop program aims to strengthen relationships between police officers and youth by letting them get to know each other in a comfortable setting.

“We try to build a rapport with the kids to not be afraid of us,” said Lincolnton Police Lt. Kenny Shrum.

“The kids, a lot of them like to look up to us. We want them to know we’re there to help them instead of them being afraid of us.”

Taylor Thompson, 7, said she likes the chance to get to know McKinney.

“He’s nice,” she said. “He’s trying to help us get safety.”

Mikayla Owenby, also 7, said she is excited about the program and thinks McKinney is “cool.”

Shuford said the program provides children with a positive role model.

It’s especially good for young boys, she said, some of whom might be in need of a positive male figure.

“I think that he’s a good role model for them,” Shuford said. “I think it’s good to have a man around for them to talk to.”

It’s a good situation for all involved, from the kids who get valuable advice, to the officers who get to focus their efforts on something other than crime for a little while.

McKinney said he is used to getting stared at around town because of his uniform.

“But whenever you come into a school and all the kids are looking at you, it’s different,” he said.

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

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