By JAMES MITCHELL
Sunday Times Newspapers
TAYLOR — Everyone likes seeing the creative side of students, and the Taylor Police Department wants to offer a timely reminder to local schools that law enforcement officers are on their side.
Toward that goal, Police Chief Mary Sclabassi announced the department’s first-ever art contest for children in kindergarten through fifth grade.
“It’s in conjunction with National Police Week (May 12 to 18),” Sclabassi said. “The impetus was just trying to reach out and involve the kids of Taylor more in what we do.”
Sclabassi said that the contest — after which the winners from each grade will have lunch with a Taylor police officer — offers a good opportunity for police to be a school presence in a non-threatening situation.
“We know that kids are sometimes afraid of police,” Sclabassi said.
The contest theme, “Police in Our Community,” invites students to set their vision of police officers to an 8 1/2-inch-by-11-inch piece of white paper using markers, colored pencils, crayons or paint.
“What role do they see us in?” Sclabassi said of the contest theme. “I’m anxious to see what the kids come up with. That’s why we’re leaving the drawing up to them.”
Entries must be turned in to the police department, 23515 Goddard, by May 10, and include the student’s name, phone number, parent’s contact information, school and grade.
The entries will be judged by local art students and displayed on Peace Officers Memorial Day, May 15, at Taylor City Hall. For more information contact the police department at 734-374-1444.
(James Mitchell can be reached at [email protected])