Lethbridge Police have once again partnered with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lethbridge and District this summer to host the Kids ‘N’ Kops program.
Kids ‘N’ Kops is a mini-police academy designed for children in the Big Brothers Big Sisters summer program.
Over three action-packed days, participants learn about various aspects of police work, while building positive relationships through fun recreational activities.
Big Brothers Big Sisters case worker Emma Georgeson said the program has been running for over 25 years.
“Some of the kids in our programs really benefit from having positive female and male role models and it’s a great chance to learn about what the police service does,” added Georgeson. “Maybe some of the kids want to become police officers when they grow up, so it’s a great chance to learn more about what the Lethbridge Police Service does.”
A few of the activities the kids have been excited about over the years include learning about the K-9 Unit, forensics and fingerprinting, and the ‘bomb squad’,” noted Georgeson.
But, the spray park and other community events are also a lot of fun for the kids.
“They got to do a tour of the police station, and they always love to see the jail cell,” said Georgeson.
The program is geared towards confidence building, self-esteem, mentorship, and intentional relationship building, as well.
Sgt. Steve Veale from the LPS Community Engagement Unit said the goal of the program is to provide youth with some positive policing experiences, while having fun too. “The whole idea is to show these youth we’re normal people, as well. We have our families. We’re husbands, wives, brothers, and sisters. This is just the job we had chosen.”
One of the positive aspects of the Community Engagement Unit, Veale explained, is the opportunity to do a lot of outreach work with Lethbridge youth.
With the Kids ‘N’ Kops program, Veale noted, there’s a lot of different areas to learn about within the LPS, including becoming a police officer (front end, patrol work, traffic work), work in forensic identification or on the tactical team or with the K-9 Unit, and detective work.”
“It’s nice to be able to show them we’re more than just the police car that drives around. There’s more facets to policing than what they may know before the program,” said Veale.
