Shakopee police on stakeout for good behavior

Shakopee Valley News

When a Shakopee police officer approached 11-year-old Jayden Martin, he was a bit nervous. Martin is old enough to see the news.

He’s old enough to have heard about Freddie Gray, Michael Brown, Eric Garner and Tamir Rice, who at the time of his death was only a year older than him. He’s old enough to talk about police brutality with his friends.

So when the female police officer rewarded Martin with a gift card to the Mall of America and a wrist band for Nickelodeon Universe for helping his grandmother in the garden, he wasn’t expecting it.

“She opened up a dialogue that we were ignorant to,” Martin’s grandmother Deborah Pool said. “We had no idea that he even had this concept that he was nervous or afraid of police.”

The gift cards and wrist bands are given out by the police as part of a program to engage with kids in the Shakopee community and reward good deeds.

Martin thanked the police with a cake and “thank you” letter to the Shakopee Police Department. He went to the Mall of America and despite being afraid of the zipline, talked himself into going so as to not disappoint the officer who gave him the wrist band.

This change in attitude is one of the many things this program is trying to achieve, Sgt. Jamie Pearson said.

“It’s an opportunity to leave a positive impression,” Pearson said. “We don’t know what kind of background these kids have. Maybe they’re in an environment where they are scared of police. This builds relationships.”

Shakopee police have been handing out the gift cards and wrist bands since mid-June, when the items were donated by the Mall of America. They’ll continue until they run out or the items expire in September.

The gift cards and wrist bands must be scanned at the Mall of America to see how much they’re worth. Wrist bands can earn one free ride, a day’s worth of rides or a year’s worth of rides. Gift cards are worth up to $1,000.

Martin won about 100 points, which is equivalent to a day’s worth of rides at Nickelodeon Universe.

He’s one of many children to get an unexpected gift from Shakopee police this summer. Mollie Ferrel and her brother, Ayden, also received gift cards and wrist bands.

When Pearson pulled up in a cruiser, Mollie and Ayden were setting up a lemonade stand with their mother. The proceeds go toward the Pinky Swear Foundation, which helps kids and families of kids with cancer during tough financial times.

Last year, Mollie raised $9,000 for the foundation. Propped up against the stand, a hand-drawn sign with a fundraising thermometer states this year’s goal of $5,000.

Jonah Weier took a break from mowing the lawn to talk with Pearson. Pearson asked Weier if mowing the lawn was one of his chores, but Weier was mowing the lawn for the pastor of his church. A few minutes later, Weier continued mowing with a gift card and a wrist band in his pocket.

Each officer distributes the items differently, but it’s about more than rewarding good deeds — it’s about building relationships between the children, parents and police, Pearson said.

“It shows we care about more than just bringing the bad guy to jail,” Pearson said. “It shows our department is friendly, we are helpful and we go the extra mile.”

Pearson drove by parks and playgrounds to hand out gift cards and wrist bands. During every stop, she asked the parent or the child if they had brothers or sisters who would like gift cards and wrist bands as well.

“If every kid has one, it makes it easier for parents to make the trip to the Mall,” Pearson said. “I’ve gone to the Mall of America with my kids — it gets expensive.”

At one park, Pearson turned on the squad car’s lights for a child. At another, she handed out stickers and asked for high-fives. Some children were apprehensive at the sight of a cop, but that melted away.

“It lights up their whole day,” Pearson said. “And it takes what, less than three minutes? It just makes you feel good.”

The small act of kindness on the part of the police makes a big impact, Pool said.

“The police actually, really, truly touched a family in a very positive way,” Pool said. “That’s going to create a lot of education for this household that hopefully, as Jayden talks to his peers, he can take that to them."