CMPD has a new tool to try to build trust with the community. It's a coloring book.
"Officer Blue’s Very Bzzz-z-z-y Day" teaches children safety tips. The department has been giving out coloring books for years, but CMPD commissioned this one. It includes the city skyline and officers with CMPD logos helping kids.
Officer Jonathan Frisk often visits elementary schools to talk about safety. He says one of the best ways to build a foundation of trust is spending time with children – and says this coloring book helps make CMPD officers seem more approachable.
"Anytime you can specifically go into an elementary school - and these kids are so young and they see the police as good role models, and they're there and they’re having fun with them and joking around and laughing, it goes a long long way down the road," ," says Frisk.
The coloring book includes a story and activities to encourage children to practice good safety habits, including what to do when encountering a gun and avoiding peer pressure.