The Kids and Kops program, a collaboration between the Lake Orion Police Department and the Orion/Oxford Boys and Girls Club, has been spotlighted on the national level.
Kids and Kops is a youth crime prevention program headed by LOPD volunteers, Sgt. Amy Fong-Kretzmer and Sgt. Steve Bauer.
In 2007, Fong-Kretzmer, Bauer and Boys and Girls Club Director Tim Dougan traveled to Washington DC to apply for a $20,000 grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance.
The grant is awarded each year to crime prevention programs and the Kids and Kops program won it in 2008.
Dougan says the money will be used to buy new equipment for the program and to help pay staff members.
In addition to the grant, the working relationship area children have with the village police force paved the way for one of LOPD’s own to win the 2008 Volunteer of the Year Award.
Sgt. Bauer won the Boys and Girls Club award for his contributions through Kids and Kops.
Bauer says he enjoys connecting and interacting with the kids from a role model position.
‘And they love competing against me, as an adult and a police officer. They beat me in board games,? he said.
Dougan, who has worked for the club for the past 33 years, says he feels a strong personal commitment to the organization.
‘I joined the club when I was seven-years-old,? he said, ‘and I’ve been active ever since. The club and the staff throughout the years have been a big influence in my life.?
Dougan says he hopes to influence this generation of kids as he was.
In the program, Bauer and Fong-Kretzmer engage and instruct kids in gun safety, internet safety, McGruff Club with McGruff the Crime Dog and the Youth Safety Corps.
Fong-Kretzmer has been with the Kids and Kops program from its inception.
‘I live in the community, and I just saw there was a need for this type of program,? she said. ‘It’s a great character builder.?
She offers the Boys and Girls club as an alternative to traditional childcare programs.
‘Where else can parents find care for their kids where there are educated, caring and loving people for $50 a year?? she asked.
Last spring, she helped the members of the Youth Safety Corps. in a child identification drive in which kids were fingerprinted and photographed in case their information is needed during an emergency.
Kid and Kops also raised funds for a Boys and Girls club in Iowa that was destroyed by the flooding there over the summer.
In the fall, the police force invited them to plan the Boo Bash Halloween party. The party provided a safe and fun place for kids on Halloween.
And each Friday night, kids get to hang out with off-duty officers doing fun activities like video games, sports, board games and outdoor activities.
‘The Kids and Kops program helps foster better trust and communication between law enforcement and our youth,? Police Chief Jerry Narsh said.
‘In today’s world, every parent needs to know there is a safe, affordable and nurturing environment for their children to have as their ‘own? place to play, learn and interact. The Orion/Oxford club is that place,? he noted.