BY MARIE McCAIN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Cincinnati Police Officer Steve Hoerst walks and talks with camper Quinton Young.
(Tony Jones photo)
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WARREN COUNTY -- A week ago, Angela King thought police officers were mean people with badges.
But after spending five days at Morrow's Camp Kern, the 14-year-old Forest Park teen has had a change of heart.
"They're real people. They're out here trying to help us," she said last week.
More than just a day camp, Camp Kern is a common ground where both police officers and children can shed their suspicions and stereotypes and enjoy or relive their childhoods.
The officers are the camp counselors. The kids have fun and are simply themselves.
"I want to come back," said Leah Jones, also a 14-year-old Forest Park resident. "This place is fun."
Awakening experience
Started in 1969 by the then-National Conference of Christians and Jews, now the National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ), the camp was formed to soothe the discontent that grew out of the riots in Cincinnati and elsewhere following the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
It has brought thousands of youngsters and police officers together.
Initially, the camp was for just Cincinnati boys and police. But over the years, it's grown to include girls, officers and children from Forest Park and Covington.
"For a lot of these kids this is their only activity all summer," said Christine Jarman, NCCJ program director for the Greater Cincinnati region. "And they may come here with one kind of idea, but you can see by the time they're ready to leave how different they are." Each morning of the five-day camp, the kids are awakened by sirens from the police cruisers that line the dirt roadways leading to each cabin.
What follows is like any other camp experience.
Breaking down barriers
Early-morning exercises followed by long lines for showers and breakfast, followed by regular camp activities of horseback-riding, archery, swimming, hiking, canoeing and the like.
But mixed with each day's events are hands-on encounters with various units of the police department: water rescue teams, bike and horse patrols, special weapons and tactical teams.
The kids participate in a mock car chase and listen to police radio traffic.
This year was Cincinnati Police District 1 Patrolman Steve Hoerst's first time as a camp counselor, but it probably won't be his last. "We're planting a seed for the future," he said.
"It's difficult to see what kind of impact you are having on these kids in just four or five days, but you hope you are breaking down some barriers," he said.
Real life
Forest Park Police Detective Laurie Bello and Officer John Thompson agree.
"You might be able to (bond with the kids) outside, but in this place you do that the fastest," Detective Bello said.
"Plus you get to participate in all the activities, too," Officer Thompson said.
This year's camp attracted the largest group of campers ever, Ms. Jarman added. "We had 167 kids," she said, adding that the program is funded through grants and donations.
Cincinnati Police District 4 Patrolman Phil Buccino was surprised by the perceptions of some of the kids. "They see us as robots," he said.
"They were surprised that we're normal, that we change out of our (patrol) suits," he said.
Many of the children also learned that the police characters on television are nothing like real-life officers.
"I was asked how many times I've shot my gun at somebody or how many times I hit somebody with my stick or how many times I've used my Mace," Officer Hoerst said. "Except for the Mace, I haven't done any of that."
"A lot of these officers have never shot their weapons at another person," Ms. Jarman added. "There is a lot more to police work than driving around looking for people. The kids learn that, and they learn that the police really do care about them."
The officers also learn to see beyond their own stereotypes or misperceptions about youngsters, she added. "They begin to appreciate that these kids really are our future, and you begin to see a difference in them as well."
"The dedication of these officers is the biggest part," she added. "The police really do have a commitment to these kids, and hopefully we can help them."
