The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office is announcing a new program entitled ‘Operation Cops Care,’ a unique initiative being rolled out by the Prosecutor’s Office.
Police officers are often at a loss to know how to help kids who are caught in the middle of police responses to their homes or when kids are brought to the stationhouse, accompanying their caregivers who need police assistance.
The launch of Operation Cops Care provides our police officers with something tangible to give to children who are, for whatever reason, the innocent bystanders to an ongoing police response. The 5,000 nylon draw string bags are filled with teddy bears, coloring books and crayons, stress balls and water bottles. They will be distributed to all of our police departments for use both in our agencies and for patrol officers to keep in their patrol vehicles. The idea being that when officers encounter kids who are caught in the middle of some type of police response, call for service, or for kids who are brought to a police department for whatever reason, there will be something that officers already have on hand for those kids, so they won’t be as scared and will have something that is just for them and with an activity.
The bags and contents were paid for by victim witness grant funding.
Our plan is to distribute the bags to our police departments within the next week or so, prior to the start of the holiday season.
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