By ROBERT LINNEHAN
Kids in town should forget about baseball cards and Pokemon cards for a change, maybe it’s time for them to start collecting cards of some real heroes? The Evesham Township Police Department is resurrecting an old but successful program to make police officers seem more approachable to young children.
Officer Tom Magee of the department said that each officer in Evesham will have their own specialized trading card for township children while out on patrol. Each officer will carry several of their own cards to give to children who come up and introduce themselves to the officer, Magee said. There are 82 officers on the force and 82 unique cards in the set, he said, and the first child to collect all of the cards will win a new bicycle.
The cards will feature a picture of the officer on the front and safety tips for children on the back.
“It’s good public relations between the police, the community, and the children. It’s a good time of year to interact with the kids because they’re out of school. There are safety tips on the back, a little bio of the officer on each one,” he said. “One of the incentives for the kids is to try and collect all of them so they can win a bike. Most of the officers have them right now and we’re still waiting on the second printing.”
The department initiated the same trading card program in 1994, Magee said, and it was a resounding success. It makes an officer more approachable to a child, he said, and helps bring the community together.
Children should feel comfortable talking to police officers, he said, and this will help develop a rapport with the youngsters.
“It makes us more approachable for kids. I also teach the DARE program to fifth graders and I teach safety lessons to every student from kindergarten to fourth grade in the district,” he said. “Mostly every class I teach, I tell them that we’re police officers and our job is to protect you, please wave and say hi so we can seem like friends and not a stranger.”
The Marlton Business Association teamed together with the police department to fund the printing of the cards, Magee said. 27 businesses donated more than a total of $2,700 for the cards. Also, several of these businesses will hand out cards to children as well, he said, and the locations will be announced later on.
If a child believes he or she has collected all 82 of the cards, they should contact Magee at 983–1116. The bike will be purchased when there is a winner.
