Out in full force for Cops and Kids Day
Published 10:00 am Monday, August 3, 2015
Kamayia Irby and Semaj Moore pretend to ride on officer Charles Clark’s motorcycle at Cops and Kids Day.
Saturday was a fun day for hundreds of children who made their way to Bloch Park to participate in the annual Cops and Kids Day.
The Athletic League of the Selma Police Department was in full force, laughing and playing with the children and even handing out free school supplies to K-12 students.
“The first year, we started at 350 [people] or more, and now, we’re up to over a thousand,” said Selma Police Department Chief William Riley. “Each year it’s just grown and grown.”
Riley said the police department has been giving out free school supplies for six years, and he feels it’s an important service to the community.
“This is the Black Belt. We have a lot of people that live at the poverty line and under the poverty line,” Riley said.
a Selma police officer hands Jacoby Starworth a bag of school supplies.
“So this is our way of reaching out and helping.”
With many incidents involving police officers and civilians throughout the country, Riley said its events like this that let people know officers do care about them and their well-being.
“It’s extremely important,” Riley said of police getting to know the public.
“All over this country police are really getting hit because of the bad things that police do. This is an opportunity to show the public, especially the young people, that yes, sometimes there are some officers that do some dumb things and bad things, but then there’s a big group, the majority of them, that all we want to do is serve.”
One parent at the occasion said she felt like it was a good thing for everyone and she is glad to see the police department interacting with the youth of Selma.
“I think it’s good for the community,” said Shenetta Johnson, who took her two boys to the event. “It’s like coming together, forming a bond with the community and also forming trust with the community and police.”
As far as the free school supplies, Johnson said having help before school starts back was huge, and she was thankful for those that contributed.
“It helps a lot to save a little money,” Johnson said. “You can spend a whole lot on school supplies.”
Riley said that although the officers were the ones standing outside in the heat handing out the bags of supplies, he was thankful for the many local businesses that donated school supplies to the police department.
“I thank the businesses, and I give my thanks to my officers for coming out and working with the kids and all of the volunteers,” Riley said.
