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Harding students say thank you to Warren police for job well done
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Warren Chief of Police Eric Merkel, center, with Warren G. Harding students who are in the school’s Key Club and involved in student council. About 30 students provided breakfast, lunch, a plaque and other gifts of appreciation Thursday to the city police department.
By Ed Runyan
WARREN
It’s nice being a police officer on those occasions when the people they serve say “thank you” — considering that the job frequently puts cops in contact with badly behaving people who don’t want them around.
Thursday was one such occasion, as about 30 students from Warren G. Harding High School provided breakfast and lunch, as well as a plaque giving thanks to the Warren Police Department.
The students are members of the school’s Student Council and Key Club, which is a youth service organization connected to the Kiwanis organization.
In addition to providing meals and the plaque, the students and their adviser, Karen Massori, brought the officers magnets containing the Police Officer’s Prayer for them to place on their lockers.
And they brought the department’s two police dogs, Maxx and Czar, a basket containing a huge bone, rope toys, balls and other items.
The younger children from the district’s four preschool through grade 8 buildings also participated, coloring cards and well-wishes. One group of children made a police car out of a box and placed it in the roll-call room, where officers start their shift.
Tiffany Harris, a Harding senior, said one reason she appreciates the Warren Police Department is because she called it one time when there was a suspicious person walking down the street and her parents were gone.
“They were busy, but he stayed 10 or 15 minutes. He talked to us, not even just about the suspicious person, and made us safe,” she said.
John Payiavlas, a Harding sophomore, said many people have criticized police officers around the country, which makes it more important than ever “to show how much we appreciate the job they do.”
Police Chief Eric Merkel, who accepted the plaque on behalf of the department and spent some time showing the students around the police station, said this is the most-elaborate thank you the department has received during the 20 years he’s been with the department.
“It’s nice to see there are nice kids who appreciate what we do and respect authority and want to give back to the community,” he said.
Violet Burd, Key Club president, said Harding students know the two resource officers at the high school because they are there every day.
“It’s nice to have the same police officers. It’s more like approaching a familiar face than just an officer,” she said.
“They make students feel better being there,” added Olivia Woods, president of Student Council. “I think students take them for granted because they are there every day.”
Massori said the whole idea of the visit was to try to wipe out some of the “negativity” in society toward police. “There is so much positivity that needs to be shown.”