ASHLAND — Hope Wells used to be terrified of police officers.
The 7-year-old’s outlook changed slightly Thursday after a laugh or two with Patrolman Adam Brock at Eva’s Treats along Claremont Avenue.
The two sat together on a bench on a hot, humid evening during the police department’s first Cones with a Cop event of the season. The event began three years ago as an effort to reach youth just like Wells, Mayor Matt Miller said. It was a spin-off of the city’s Coffee with a Cop event.
“At this time in Ashland’s history, the majority of police officers have been here less than five years,” Miller said. “So some of these kids, and some of these kids’ parents, are meeting these officers for the first time.”
Miller said the event, which offered complimentary ice cream from Eva’s Treats to participants, is important.
“We don’t want people to fear the men and women in our city police department. We want folks to recognize they’re here to serve and to help,” he said.
The hour-long event drew around 30 children and their parents. Around 15 police officers, mostly off-duty, mulled about with the crowd — offering opportunities for children to sit in a patrol SUV, pet a police K-9 and ask innocent questions like “did you catch any bad guys today?”
Kayleen Allison, 14, of Ashland came to the event with her sister, Makayla Brown, 6, and her mother, Candy Allison.
“My favorite part is getting to know the cops,” Kayleen Allison said, enjoying an ice cream cone on the patio. “They have impressive jobs.”
Lt. Jerry Bloodhart said events like Thursday’s show children that police officers are human beings “just like them.”
“They can approach us,” he said. “They don’t have to be intimidated, we’re there for them.”
Detective Kim Mager works primarily in sex offense cases that often involve children.
“For me, there’s nothing more important than impacting children positively,” she said. “You see the apprehension in their faces as they walk up, but I love to see that positive change.”
Mager gave kudos to the parents and caregivers who brought the young children to the event.
“The effects are far-reaching,” she said. “They might need us at some point.”
