Local Kids Get a Day as Police Officers

Most lessons at the police academy don’t come with a reminder about parental supervision.

Or gentle directives about using hand signals and making smooth stops.

But this is the Lakewood Junior Police Academy.

The second annual event, held Saturday outside Clover Park High School, gave young attendees the opportunity to fill “passports” with stamps from stations including Forensics, the K-9 and SWAT Units and a Bicycle Rodeo. Among the biggest hits of the day were learning techniques from Kwon’s Tae Kwon Do studio and getting to crawl in and out of police cars.

The free event, which focused on children ages 6-12 but was open to all youths, had drawn about 150 participants by early afternoon, a vast increase over last year.

Community Service Officer Dawn McGinnis said that the event was going fabulously.

“It’s awesome,” she said. “I love to do this kind of stuff -- watching the families interact with their children. It’s relaxing and educational.

Among the offerings were digital ID cards, $5 bike helmets sold by the Lakewood Officers’ Charity and free backpacks full of school supplies donated by the Lakewood Lowe’s, which helped sponsor the event.

“This is part of our community policing efforts,” said Sgt. John Unfred, treasurer for the Officers’ Charity. “We wanted to do something to reach out and show (kids) some of the things law enforcement does.

“We’re trying to break down those barriers so kids aren’t afraid to come talk to cops.”

McGinnis felt similarly.

“The kids get to see the police in a different light,” she said. “Usually, when you call the police, it’s not for something good. They get to see their kinder, softer side.”

Sgt. Mark Eakes, who was supervising the K-9 Unit area, complete with a visit from Astor the police dog and his handler, Officer Jim Syler, said that such events give him a chance to give back to his hometown.

“I remember being a kid and looking at the police officers and being excited about them,” he said. “You plant a lot of good seeds at things like this, which could last a lifetime for these kids.”

Mary Jo Reynolds, who rallied a team of Lowe’s employees to help out, said that she had no problem recruiting volunteers. Last year, they had three helpers; this year, nearly 20 showed up.

“We love it,” said Reynolds, the credit coordinator at the Lakewood store. “We love partnering with the Lakewood Police Department.”

Reynolds said that every Lowe’s receives a certain sum of money to use to benefit a nonprofit in their community. They call it the Lowe’s Heroes project. Her team purchased the backpacks filled with school supplies to give to children as they completed the rotation of stations.

“It was a fluke last year,” she said with a laugh. “Dawn said we called at the right time. This year, when they asked if we wanted to help again, we said ‘Yes!’ ”

Across the parking lot, Officer Peter Johnson was jogging back and forth alongside young bicyclists, with an enthusiastic smile – and nary a sweaty brow despite the muggy climate.

“We’re teaching the kids basic safety rules,” said Johnson, who led the Bicycle Rodeo that included hand-signal lessons and a trip through an obstacle course featuring traffic cones and hand-made safety signs drawn with a rainbow of sidewalk chalk.

As her daughter, Sunday, 8, zipped through the bicycle obstacle course and son Elijah, 7, waited for his turn, Nicole Neal smiled proudly.

“I’m really glad we came out,” she said. “This is a good event.”

Once her ride was over, Sunday shared her favorite parts: “Turning, stopping and riding.”

Over at the Lowe’s pet-leash hanger construction table, Kevin Lamar watched as his daughters, Ariana, 8, and Kayla, 4, hammered wooden noses onto their masterpieces.

He said that the police department shows support for his 702 Bravo Company Brigade Support Battalion stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, so he wanted to reciprocate.

“They are having fun,” he said of his daughters. “They tried all the SWAT stuff. This has been a good event for the community.”