By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Lt. Tim Greenwood stood outside Holy Family Elementary School on a recent drizzly, gray morning, opening car doors for kids and giving high-fives and fist bumps.
It only takes about 15 minutes out of his day, but he said he thinks it is important for kids to see a police officer as one of the good guys.
Greenwood was part of the Adopt-A-Cop program when it began in Hays in 1998. The program was temporarily discontinued, but was resurrected about five years ago. Every school, public and private, in the city has at least one officer assigned.
“It is great when I am there and the kids smile and wave,” he said.
In addition to the welcomes in the morning, Greenwood periodically gives presentations to school on safety topics. Greenwood is also a veteran and the school invites him to lunch once a year to celebrate Veterans Day.
“I’m somebody those kids can look up to as a role model and not be afraid to reach out and say. ‘Hey, Officer Greenwood, how are you this morning?’ and develop a conversation or rapport that has served us professionally later on.”
The relationships he builds with the children has been useful as he has been called to tragedies and been able to calm a child because that child knew him from school.
Greenwood said Adopt-A-Cop has been one of his best assignments as a police officer.
“A young lady came up to me and asked if I remembered her, and I didn’t. It was a third grader that 20 years later had grown up and she still remembered I was her Adopt-A-Cop,” he said.
Sgt. Jason Bonczynski is assigned to Wilson Elementary School.
“I think the program has some really tremendous benefits for the kids” he said. “When I first started going, no one wanted to talk to me. There was a cop over there. They didn’t know what was going on. ‘He looks a little bit spooky.’ Once the kids realize I am there for the kids, they’re having fun and I’m handing out stickers and visiting and playing, they almost run me over for a sticker in the morning.
“Some kids have had experiences with law enforcement that might not pose us in the most positive light because we took a law enforcement action. They might be fearful of us. We have the opportunity to turn around those perceptions and let them know we are here for community service and to keep people safe.”
In his 21 years as an officer, he said there is nothing that puts a smile on his face and is more positive than being an Adopt-A-Cop.
“Who doesn’t like hanging out with kids?” he said.
HPD Deputy Chief Brian Dawson said the response to the program from schools, officers and the community has been positive.
“It helps build a rapport between the young people at schools and the officers as well as school staff and parents,” he said.
The HPD at one point had school resource officer program in Hays schools, but that program was discontinued.
The current program amounts to 40 officer hours per year across the entire program. However, officers and the school officials said they thought the program offers maximum benefit for the amount of resources dedicated to it.
Lincoln Elementary School has two officers assigned to its school.
Lincoln Principal Kerri Lacy said having the officers welcome students in the morning one to three times per week has helped the children and parents feel more at ease with the officers. They have also visited the school and had lunch with the children.
“I think another benefit is our parents knowing we have Adopt-A-Cops,” Lacy said. “They see them out front in the morning and know we are keeping our school safe. Having the presence here is a great benefit.”
Lacy said she thinks the program helps change the kids’ perceptions of police officers.
“Our kids just think officers are scary, because that is all they know, so it is a good way for them to know officers are here to hep them if they need it and they are nice people and they are familiar with the school,” she said. “That way if they see an officer walking in the school they are not thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, there’s something wrong.’ They are here to be helpful.”
Tom Albers, Hays Middle School principal, said the idea behind Adopt-A-Cop is to have a police officer connected with the school.
The two officers assigned to the middle school open doors for students in the morning and greet them. They also walk the halls during the first part of the day, which is the school’s “Falcon time.”
Albers said he at times calls on the officers to give words of encouragement to students.
“They walk the building just talking to kids,” Albers said. “They are visible. They’re available for kids if they want to speak to them. They have very positive interactions with our students. It allows our kids to feel secure.”