Kindergarten students from Harrison Township Elementary School donned police caps in front of the township police station on March 19.
Nine kindergarten classes at Harrison Township Elementary School got a look inside the police force and connected with officers during a visit the township police department on March 19.
“The visit was a wonderful opportunity for our students to connect with local law enforcement in a positive and engaging way,” said Principal Annalisa Rodano. “Currently, our learners have an outstanding relationship with our SRO (School Resource Officer) Kevin Nastasi, and this trip was just an extension of that awesome connection.”
The officers showed off the areas of their police station – including the interrogation room – demonstrated how to analyze fingerprints, gave the kids a peek inside department vehicles and introduced the department’s lone K-9, Dunkin’.
“When the first wave of students arrive, officers will greet them in the lobby of the police department,” said Det. Sgt. Andrew Thomas, who assisted with the tours. “We separate the students by their class … One group will go into the processing area and are shown the holding cells. We explain the part of criminal processing (mugshots and fingerprinting) and explain to them what fingerprints are and the purpose behind fingerprints and how they differ between every person.
“We show them how the fingerprint machine works and they are shown what their own fingerprints would look like if they were fingerprinted.”
Thomas explained that the tours – the result of a partnership between the school district and the police department – include viewing administrative offices; officer-assigned work areas; and the break, gym and locker rooms. After the tour, the students were escorted to a conference room for a talk on safety by the officers.
Each class was given an hour to explore the station, time that was used in part to interact with Dunkin’ and learn what the K-9 unit does.
“Our goal for this experience was to help build strong, trusting relationships between our students and community helpers,” noted Rodano, “while also providing a real-world connection to what they are learning in the classroom about community roles and responsibilities.
“The students were excited, curious and very engaged throughout the visit,” she added. “We are grateful for their time and dedication to making this visit meaningful for our students.”
