Students Put Ornaments On Officers at Event Aimed at Fostering Trust
By Jacquie Paul, The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, Calif.)
With garland and ornaments draped around their necks, and Santa hats and candy canes on their heads, a group of Riverside Police and California Highway Patrol officers became the most decorated cops in town Thursday.
The officers played the part of Christmas trees for the annual Dec-a-Cop relay race at the California School for the Deaf, Riverside. The event is the highlight of an annual Christmas party put on by the Crime Free Manager’s Association. Starbucks, Target and William Austin Co., a Riverside-based property management company, also support the program.
“Arms out! You are Christmas trees,” Deborah Cook, the school’s outreach coordinator yelled at the officers as students marched forward with their ornaments. “Last year I sent a picture to the chief,” said Carrie Madrid, president of the Crime Free Manager’s Association. “It said, ‘Here’s your highly decorated officers for the year.’”
Organizers said that besides being fun, the annual party also provides another chance for kids and officers to spend time together in a non-threatening setting. Children build a trust for law enforcement officials. Officers, meanwhile, get acquainted with the deaf culture. During Thursday’s event, many officers tried out their sign language, signing, “thank you” and “welcome.” Some even spelled out their names.
The event also included a gift exchange. Children ripped open packages to find dolls, books, cars, and other goodies. Later, it was the officer’s turn. They smiled as they opened packages containing class pictures and ornaments.
“I’m very humbled,” CHP Officer Maurice Walker said. “It’s a rewarding experience.”
Riverside Police Officer Andy Cook said getting decorated was “a little embarrassing, but it’s worth it.”
Six-year-old Noah Valencia said through a sign language interpreter that his favorite part of the party was “the decorating of the cops. It was very silly,” he said.
Officer John Start, who coordinates the Riverside Police Department’s Crime-free Multi-Housing Program, said no sign language training is needed to communicate with students. “We use the ultimate communication - hugs,” he said.