On June 26, Family Communications in partnership with the Allegheny County Police Academy,  presented One on One: Connecting Cops and Kids to police officers from Western Pennsylvania. The training was made possible through a grant from the US Department of Justice aimed at helping young children enhance their skills in managing their angry and aggressive feelings. This is the tenth presentation in Western PA of the Cops and Kids training materials created to encourage awareness of how positive interactions with children can improve officer safety and effectiveness.
The training was met with an enthusiastic response. More than a half dozen of the officers who attended will meet again in order to become trainers of the material themselves.

One on One: Connecting Cops and Kids, was produced in partnership with the preeminent experts in the field: the National Center for Children Exposed to Violence Child Witness to Violence Project as well as the New Haven Department of Police Services, and the Boston Police Department, and the Pittsburgh Police Department.

Hundreds of hours of police interactions with children were documented by National Geographic photographer/filmmaker Joe Seamans and edited into four videos to bring the realities of policing into the training environment.

One one One: Connecting Cops and Kids raises officer awareness of children and provides models for effective interactions with children of all ages. One on One communicates to officers that children's perceptions of police change as they grow older. At each officer training session , local community partners are identified and invited to spend the afternoon with officers so that relationships can be built that will help support police in their work with children and families.  To mirror this, each session is facilitated by two experienced professionals- a Child Development Specialist and a Police Sergeant. 

As first responders to most calls for service, police officers have a unique opportunity in times of turmoil to offer comfort, security and support to children and families. The mere presence of law enforcement officers can have powerful stabilizing effects on the lives of children and families. And positive interactions with children can improve officer safety and prevent crime. When properly trained, police are able to offer assistance through a community network that has the capability of providng children and families the services they need most.

Officers have unanimously evaluated the training as a well needed and worthwhile professional development opportunity. Darrel Stephens, Chief of the Charlette-Mecklenberg Police Department in North Carolina, said he sees great value in the program.

"No police officer should graduate from the academy without this training," Chief Stephens said.

For more information, visit copskids.org. To order, visit FCI's gift shop.