Arnold police serve lunch, build rapport at Hunt Elementary School

Fourth-graders swarmed around police officers at the lunch tables in a loud, pizza-scented cafeteria at Roy A. Hunt Elementary School on Wednesday, pointing to their badges and asking to see their handcuffs.

The students have never eaten their vegetables so enthusiastically, said JoAnne Stramaski, a food service worker.

Officers from the Arnold Police Department visited the school to serve lunch and interact with students.

“How many of you liked your special servers today?” Principal Thomas Rocchi asked into a microphone, and hands flew into the air.

This is the first event of its kind, but Police Chief Eric Doutt said the department plans to serve lunch two to three times a month at both of Arnold’s elementary schools.

“School safety is a priority of mine, and our presence is important,” said Doutt, who is up for reelection on the New Kensington-Arnold School Board.

As the police prepare to start teaching the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) curriculum at Hunt, Doutt said events like this help officers build relationships and rapport with students.

It is just one example of community policing, he said, a law enforcement strategy that encourages officers to collaborate with neighborhoods, increase transparency and build trust.

Studies published by the Department of Justice and National Police Foundation show that strategies like having police walk a beat or volunteer for community functions increase crime reporting and community-police relations.

Doutt is a strong believer in community policing, he said, and believes it to be an important strategy for serving Arnold. Officers in Arnold conduct daily walk-throughs at public schools and in the city’s two high-rise buildings, as well as volunteer at youth events. Doutt said the officers’ daily presence in schools has helped them get to know the building layout and procedures to better serve students both on- and off-campus.

On Thursday, the officers will pass out candy to the city’s trick-or-treaters.

Kayla Solomon, food services director, said the event could be popular for any grade level, but especially for the younger children. At the end of lunch, three students approached her eagerly, asking if the officers would come again soon.

“They love it. They think it’s so cool,” said Solomon. “And it sets a tone for them. It helps them to be on their best behavior.”

For Rocchi, exposing students to police is essential to their education, and for the long-term betterment of the community.

“It was absolutely super to see them giving their time,” Rocchi said about the police officers. “I don’t know if they realize, but they are role models.”