Twenty children mingled easily with police officers from seven local agencies Friday at Splash City Water Park in Collinsville. The children talked and laughed with each other and the officers. For Collinsville Police Officer Terry Wasser, it was another successful year of the Police and Children Together – Collinsville camp.
Police and Children Together (PACT) – Collinsville 2014 graduating class – Photo by Roger Starkey
“The biggest thing we try to accomplish as police officers is human relations,” Wasser said.
A primary focus of PACT is to bring at-risk children and police officers together to show that police are more than just people in uniforms enforcing the law.
“We want to help them understand that we just want them to succeed in life,” Wasser said.
Maryville Police Officer Frank Leffler, attending his first PACT camp, said another benefit to the children is the chance to participate in things in which they may not otherwise have the opportunity. The campers packed a summer vacation worth of fun into five days.
Monday started with a tour of the Old Courthouse in St. Louis, followed by tours of Busch Stadium and Ballpark Village. The group traveled north to Carlinville Tuesday for a day at Lake Williamson, where the brave zip lined.
The campers had a less death-defying day of play at Edison’s Entertainment Complex in Edwardsville Wednesday. Thursday the group visited the City Museum.
Friday started at Collinsville Middle School for demonstrations from the Collinsville Fire Department, a Collinsville K-9 officer, ARCH helicopters and a SWAT team before a graduation ceremony with Fredbird at Splash City. The campers finished Friday playing at the water park.
The program is primarily for at-risk kids between the ages of 9 and 12. It is not for kids who have been in trouble with the law.
“This is not a setting for chronically troubled kids,” Wasser said. “It would not be beneficial to the program.”
Many of the campers are chosen by school resource officers, such as Wasser and fellow Collinsville Police Officer – and PACT participant – Eric Danford. Others are chosen with the help of the school. Among other reasons for selection, the children may not have positive role models at home or may need a self-esteem boost, Wasser said.
The camp is funded by donations solicited by the police officers. The Law Enforcement Foundation of Illinois has awarded a grant to the program the last two years, Wasser said. The grant allowed the camp, running since the 1990s, to be expanded to five days this year. It also allowed the officers to reconnect with the campers at Christmas time for a $100 shopping spree for the children and their families. Campers also receive birthday cards with gift certificate for a meal at a restaurant.
The children, who are given a ride to and from camp each day by an officer in a police car, were not shy about showing their enthusiasm for the camp. Asked what was their favorite part, most said “everything.”
Erica Cline, 11, of Collinsville, was at her first camp. As her father, Al, was busy preparing lunch for the campers, just as he has done for each of the last four years, Erica said her favorite part was the friends she made during the week.
Erica and 19 other kids thrust their hand into the air when a leader asked who wanted to come back to the camp next year. The goal of making the children comfortable with police officers had clearly been accomplished.
