Way to be a PAL

By DEVIN WEEKS

Staff Writer

COEUR d’ALENE — They're always prepared to serve and protect.

But in their gray Police Activities League T-shirts, Coeur d'Alene Police officers are also ready to have some summer fun and cut loose with local kids.

"It’s really cool that they’re coming here and spending their time with us and doing really fun activities like basketball," said incoming Ramsey Magnet School of Science fifth-grader Taylin Gitto. "What’s really cool is they give us these shirts."

The elementary students were excited to get their own gray shirts to match those of their law enforcement counterparts, who will be spending two days a week at the Lola and Duane Hagadone Boys and Girls Club and two days with School PLUS summer kids at Ramsey. They introduced the program to the kids at Ramsey on Wednesday afternoon.

The officers, who all work as school resource officers during the school year, will be engaging the kids through basketball, kickball, ultimate Frisbee, soccer and more as they encourage them to exhibit the core values of upstanding community members: integrity, respect, honesty, compassion, citizenship and leadership. The kids will be awarded raffle tickets as they showcase the core values and will have chances to win prizes like Razor scooters or an iPad.

"It’s really cool how they came to spend their time with us, especially after hard work of past days," said incoming Ramsey fifth-grader Camryn Woodman. "They are probably really tired, so it’s just nice of them to come to us and spend their time with us and teaching us."

The PAL program is multifaceted: It adds a level of excitement to the days the officers come to visit, it helps the kids build relationships with law enforcement, it gets the kids up and active and it provides them with strong, positive role models they can look up to as they grow.

“I think it’s amazing they get to be with the children,” said School PLUS director Jamie Lenz. "When they get to go outside is when you see all the smiles."

She said generally, in child care, it’s women who handle the young ones, so the positive male role models are a big deal.

"It is amazing to have men around interacting with the kids,” she said. "To have that male role model is important."

The female officers are just as important. Officer Ashley Caiafa used her megaphone to get her basketball players on their feet and follow her out to the court.

“It’s a good partnership with the rest of the community. It helps the kids see cops in a different light," Capt. Dave Hagar said.

"We want them to know that they can come to us if they need something. We’re the good guys," he said. "You can come to us and we will help you through your problem. It also helps develop their own impression of police. There are different narratives going around out in the country and it allows them to get some one-on-one personal time."

Det. Mario Rios said this is an impressionable time for the kids, so it's a perfect time for them to get to know their local law enforcement on their terms.

"They’re just kind of learning who they are and where they’re at and making their own opinions of other people,” he said. "Not only that, but a lot of these kids, unfortunately, come from tough home situations where they may see Mom or Dad go off to jail and so they have this impression of us that can turn sour sometimes. We’d like to be able to change that for them and give them a different perspective of who we are. Even though we’re not wearing uniforms, they get the idea of who we are."