Lethbridge Regional Police Service

Cops n Kids program

SUBMITTED TO:
Chief Robert Davis

SUBMITTED BY:
Maaike Van Reeuwyk

Lethbridge Regional Police Service

Cops n Kids Program

Submitted to:
Chief Robert Davis
Lethbridge Regional Police Service
135 1 Avenue South
Lethbridge, Alberta
T1J 0A1

May 20, 2016

Submitted by:
Maaike Van Reeuwyk
403-317-3720
[email protected]

Table of Contents
2

Table of Contents.............................................................................................3
Letter of Transmittal.........................................................................................4
Executive Summary.........................................................................................5
Statement of Problem......................................................................................6
Background......................................................................................................7
Scope..............................................................................................................9
Personnel.......................................................................................................10
Methodology..................................................................................................11
Resources.......................................................................................................12
Expenses........................................................................................................13
Recommendations.........................................................................................14
Evaluation......................................................................................................15
Troubleshooting..............................................................................................16
Conclusion.....................................................................................................17
References.....................................................................................................18
Appendix A.....................................................................................................19
Appendix B.....................................................................................................20
Appendix C.....................................................................................................21

Box 266
Coaldale, Alberta
T1M 1M3
May 20, 2016

Chief Robert Davis

Lethbridge Regional Police
135 1 Avenue South
Lethbridge, Alberta
T1J 0A1
Dear Chief Davis
RE: Creating a Cops and Kids Program
The Lethbridge Regional Police Service has some great children programs in
place such as anti-bullying campaigns and bicycle safety workshops. These
programs teach children safety on the roads and unity between peers and
have been very effective. Unfortunately, these programs do not lead to
better relations between police and the public, as the police comes across as
superior to these children. This precedes decreased respect for police
officers. To build closer ties with the public, I am proposing a Cops n Kids
Program.
My proposed plan is geared towards increasing community relations between
police and citizens, starting with children. Positive communication with police
at this stage will greatly affect the respect towards, and trust in, our police
force. By positively impacting young people, we can decrease crime rates.
The program establishes positive relationships between cops and kids at risk
which will strengthen our community today and in the future.
By interacting with members of local police services, children will gain
knowledge and understanding of police work and therefore realize the
positives of police functions. The program will work on reducing teen crime,
as officers become comrades instead of nemeses as seen by so many teens
and young adults today. Stress relief would be a latent function for officers
strained from daily duties, as they become mentors in this program.
It is apparent that Lethbridge Regional Police has some excellent community
policing strategies already in place. My proposed Cops n Kids Program would
complement the work already done by your agency. If you have any
questions or feel inclined, please contact me at
[email protected]
Yours truly
Maaike Van Reeuwyk

Executive Summary
4

Even though community policing is gaining popularity, there is still a large

gap between officers and citizens. The proposed Cops n Kids Program
benefits both police and the community by gaining mutual understanding
and respect, while supporting young people to reach their full potential. This
proposal is based on the program started in Toronto, which is fully sponsored
and supported by the community. By recruiting volunteers, a number of
activities can take place throughout the year, where officers are encouraged
to share their passion as volunteer mentors for our future generations. Costs
will be minimal; printing flyers at a cost of approximately $75 will start this
program by getting the word out to local schools, churches, youth workers
and community centers. This project is recommended to start in January
2016, to have activities in line by spring time.

Statement of Problem
The Lethbridge Regional Police Service has been exceptional in their
community policing aspects. However, gaps in communication between
police and the community are still evident. Therefore, this proposal
introduces a community program that brings police and communities
together by creating an environment of mutual understanding and respect,
while supporting young people to reach their full potential. This proposal
outlines funding and volunteer service procedures to have this program
available to the community by spring, 2016.

Background
Increasing impact of media on our younger generation often promotes
feelings of suspicion, skepticism and distrust towards police. Even though
community policing has had a positive impact on the relationships between
law enforcement and the community, the annual crime rates average
remains steady. (Lethbridge Police Annual Report, 2012). The trust in law
enforcement is still a problem as citizens doubt the actions of police. Many
crimes go unreported as victims believe their problems are not important
enough or think the police cannot, or will not, find a solution. The generation
mostly related to crimes is in the age category between 15- 24, and many
young adults picture police as enemies rather than comrades.
Another problem relating to the levels of crime, is the fact that young people
in our community have very few places for retreat. Many people cannot
afford extracurricular activities, which causes many kids to wonder the
streets in their spare time. This is a huge cause for concern as this is where
the teens start to take on trouble, and eventually interact with police. For
those not adding to the crime statistics, interaction with police is nonexistent and therefore they rely on media to gain mostly negative
perceptions. To repair these negative perceptions, we need to stop this
dilemma from happening in the first place.

Pictures of law enforcement are constructed at a young age, hence; we

need to establish positive relationships with children before they become
tainted by crime and media. Although there are current programs in place
such as bicycle safety and anti-bullying campaigns put on by regional police
services, there is no actual interaction strengthening the relationships
between children and police, as the police is pictured more as a superior
instead of an equal. (lethbridgepolice.ca, 2014). Let kids create their own
opinions of police officers.
The Proaction Cops & Kids program started in Toronto has had proven
benefits to this community. Officers are encouraged to share their passion
with elementary aged children, while engaging in a wide range of activities
such as sports, camping, arts, leadership, life skills and safety. (Proaction
Cops & kids, n.d.). This program is run by police and community volunteers
and can be operated efficiently on a low budget. It aids in fighting crime
through building trust, respect and understanding between young people
and police.
A latent function of this proposal is stress relief. Police stress stems from
the negative pressures related to police duties. According to Quan, (2012)
studies show 50 percent of police report high stress levels and another 46
percent report moderate stress levels. Cops n Kids is a great way to
incorporate positive energy into the daily lives of officers. Not only do officers
receive stress relief from these gratifying positions, children get off the

streets, get fresh air and exercise. Video games and television are the main
causes of childhood obesity, as many children get less daily exercise.
This Cops n Kids program will establish a positive relationship between
cops and youth at risk. This will reduce negative labels affixed to police,
reduce crime and strengthen our community today. Moreover, officers
receive stress relief and children get exercise as the community bonds
through fun and fellowship.

Scope
Benefits

Protects youth from dangers of street life

Creates stronger bonds between police and communities
Opens up communication between police and citizens
Supports kids at risk to reach their full potential
Gets youth outside and active
Stress relief for officers
Decreases crime levels

Limitations

Funding and budget limited to sponsors

Finding enough volunteers
Access to sporting gear and facilities
Liability issues
Maintaining a good volunteers to kids ratio

Short Term Goals

9

Advertise in community for volunteers, funding and sponsors

Find police resource personnel to present the program to schools
Get enough funding in place to allow first activities
Obtain an estimate on number of kids at risk interested in
participating
Hire police and public volunteers according to proper ratio

Long Term Goals

Commit to activities quarterly

Create better community relations
Relief officer stress
Deter crime
Reduce crime rates

Personnel
Program Coordinator
One officer needed to print flyers and brochures and to advertise
the program within the community.

Will meet with media personnel to get information out to public

Will recruit sworn officers interested in volunteering, no less than
1 for every 50 kids for day programs

Coordinator will also be in charge of clearing volunteers through

criminal record checks and hiring suitable candidates

Will create four groups of volunteers, numbers depending on

number of youths

Volunteers
10

Group One:
Campaign within the community to raise funds for costs such as
equipment, facility rentals, food and transportation through
sponsorships and donations.
Group Two:
Speak to local schools, churches, youth workers, community
centers and parents of high risk youth to find kids suitable for the
program. They will also collect and score program questionnaires
for evaluation.
Group Three:
Organize activities; book facilities and organize equipment,
meals and transportation.
Group Four:
Accompany children and officers to mentor, feed and transport kids as
needed.

Methodology

11

Introduce program to Chief of police. When accepted, the Chief will

appoint a willing officer to be the program coordinator.

Program coodinator will design and print flyers, posters and

meet with media for an interview to spread the information
about Cops 'n Kids.

Coordinator will find officers interesting in volunteering

their time, and hire volunteers through criminal record
checks, and oppoint them into groups.
Group one will campaing within the community to raise
funds for costs such as equipment, facility rentals, food
and transportation through sponsorships and donations.
Group two will speak to local schools, churches, youth
workers, community centers and parents of high risk
youth to find kids suitable for the program. They will
also collect and score questionnaires.
Group three will organize activities, and book facilities
and organize equipment, meals and transportation.
Group four will accompany children and officers to
mentor, feed and transport kids as needed.
Kids and volunteers will engage in a wide range of activities
such as sports, camping, arts, leadership, life skills and
safety, and enjoy these as they bridge the gap between
community and police.

Create an environment of mutual understanding and respect,

guiding kids to a brighter future and lower crime rates.

Resources
12

Cops n Kids will use the following resources for optimal performance:

Printing Services:
o Staples
o Kopi Ko
o Paramount Printers
Television Stations:
o Global
o CTV
Radio Stations:
o Country 95.5 FM
o Bee 93.3 FM
o The River 107.7 FM
o CJOC 94.1 FM
o The Rock 106.6 FM
The following resources from Lethbridge, Coaldale, Coalhurst,
Raymond, Magrath, Fort Macleod, Taber, and Cardston:
Schools
Churches
Youth Workers
Community Centers

Expenses
Item Needed**

Cost

Total

13

Posters 8.5 X 11
Newspaper Advertisement
TV Advertisement
Radio Advertisement

$
$
$
$

0.39
55
250
250

$
$
$
$

195 (for 500)*

55 ( 7 small Ads)*
500 (2 X 30 seconds)*
250 (25 X 30 seconds)*

Total $ 1000

*Most business will be inclined to help with promoting a program that

benefits the community and will sponsor these programs.
** Items needed to start process before sponsors and donations.

Recommendations
Program coordinator must be a sworn officer within the LRPS and
should be passionate with great leadership and organizational skills

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 Volunteers will be screened through the use of criminal record checks

and/ or personal references
Ratio expectation for one day programs is a ratio no greater than 50
youth to 1 officer and for programs longer than a weekend, a ratio of
15 youth to 1 officer
Programs must influence youth who are at risk, in the short or long
term, from developing an undesirable lifestyle
Keep in mind the inclusiveness of certain activities. Hiking does not
require any certain skills, whereas the ability to skate is necessary for
ice hockey. These skills exclude a number of kids.
Teachers, church leaders, youth care workers, community center
employees, group homes and the Childrens Aid Society can assist you
in finding youth who may benefit from your program
Elements to include are healthy food provision (some youth may not
always have enough to eat), transportation (some youth may not be
able to afford the cost of travel when transportation is needed. Public
transit is very cost effective), and mentorship (many at risk youth need
a mentor to look up to as these are often lacking in their family lives).
The first Cops n Kids program should be up and running no later than
summer, 2016.

Evaluation
Evaluation will occur in three stages. The initial response from the
community in terms of sponsors, donations and volunteer numbers, should
give an accurate assessment of the organizational stages of the program.
Without these numbers being adequate there will be no Cops n Kids

15

Program. The second stage will include the number of kids at risk referred
and their evaluations on the program. In order for the program to be worth
commencing the number of referrals must exceed 25 for the first, and build
in number for each subsequent activity thereafter. Following each outing,
kids will take home 2 questionnaires. One asking the children for their
opinion of the program and one for parental follow up. These will be
evaluated and problems, concerns and requests will be taken care of and
implemented before each new activity. The final phase of the evaluation will
be the reassessment of crime rates within the community during the yearly
annual reports from Lethbridge Regional Police Service. The programs efforts
are repaid if crime rates are reduced following activities of the Cops n Kids
Program.

Troubleshooting
When creating a program of this caliber based primarily on volunteers, sponsors and donations,
potential problems and questions can arise. These could include but are not limited to the following:

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 Insufficient funding: This can be counteracted by advertising the

benefits of this program to the community. Many organizations do not
realize the potential a program like this has and the impacts it will
have on a community on a long term basis. There are many activities
that can be done inexpensively and without equipment. I.e.: Hiking,
reading or homework club.
Inadequate volunteers: Again, this can be counteracted by
advertising the benefits of this program to the community. Parents
often do not realize the potential this program will have on their high
risk children. By explaining the causes of criminal behaviour, many
people will be inclined to help children at risk.
Identifying youth at risk: Teachers, community center employees,
group homes and the Childrens Aid Society can assist you in finding
youth who may benefit from your program. These individuals and
organizations are regularly exposed to youth from a variety of
backgrounds and can help get them involved in your program. Do not
limit youth to only obvious troubled kids. There are many children that
do not receive adequate help at home and struggle with everyday
things such as reading and homework and would benefit greatly from
volunteer mentors.

Conclusion
17

By implementing this proposed Kops n Kids program, the community will

benefit in numerous ways. It will bring unity to society by creating new
friendships, supporting youth at risk to reach their full potential and deterring
crime. Volunteer officers will receive stress relief as they share their passion
with youth during enjoyable activities. Youth will benefit from gaining a
purpose in life and a positive mentor while participating in exercise. The
profits of this program are incomparable to the long term effects of fewer
youth offences, lower police stress levels and lower crime rates.

References
18

Lethbridge Police. (2012). 2012 Annual Report. Retrieved November 26,

2014, from http://lethbridgepolice.ca/wpcontent/uploads/2013/05/2012-Annual-Report.pdf
Lethbridge Regional Police Service. (2011). Retrieved November 26, 2014,
from www. http://lethbridgepolice.ca/
Proaction Cops & Kids. (n.d.). Guiding kids to a brighter future. Retrieved
November 26, 2014, from www.copsandkids.ca
Quan, D. (2012). Canadian police officers overworked, understaffed,
stressed-out: survey. Retrieved November 26, 2015 from
http://www.canada.com/health/Canadian+police+officers+overworked
+understaffed+stressed+survey/6506477/story.html

Appendix A
19

Youth Questionnaire
Thank you for attending Cops n Kids! We hope you enjoyed it as much as we
did, and we hope to see you again soon. Please fill out the questionnaire
about your experience.
1. Name:
2. Date(s) and Activity attended:

3. Please rate the following on a scale of 1- 10. 1= poor, 10 =

excellent.
Volunteer officers
Public volunteers
Activities
Food and Drink
4. Would you attend another program activity? If not, explain why.

5. If you could pick the next activity, what would it be?

Thank you!

Appendix B
Parent Questionnaire
20

Thank you letting your child participate in Cops n Kids. Please help us to
improve our program by filling out this questionnaire about your childs
experience.
1. Parent Name:

2. Childs Name:

3. Date(s) and activity attended:

4. First

attendance?
4. How did you hear about us/ who referred your child?
5. Please rate the following on a scale from 1- 10. 1=poor, 10=
excellent.
Your childs
experience
Our volunteer staf
6. Has your childs behaviour changed since participating in our
program? If so, how?
7. Please share experiences that will be remembered, either
positive or otherwise:
8. Would you allow your child to participate in another Cops n Kids
activity?
9. Would you refer others? Why or why not?
10. Are there any items you would include/ exclude in activities?
Thank you!

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Appendix C
List of possible activities for Cops n Kids.
There are numerous activities that officers and kids can partake in. The
length of these varies from a few hours to a few days. Cost is a variable
ranging from no cost to where significant funding is needed. The activities
can include, but are not limited to:

Day Hikes
Cooking Club
Homework Club
Swimming
Golf
Arts
Safety
Trail riding

Bike Rides
Reading Club
Hockey
Baseball
Archery
Leadership
Wild Water Rafting
Camping

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