Junior Police

Junior Police

Sponsors

Junior Police is made possible by the generosity of the Edina Crime Prevention Fund and Edina Morningside Rotary.

Purpose

Junior Police teaches second and third grade students in schools throughout Edina about the role of public servants in their community. The Junior Police program emphasizes safety at home, at school and out in the community.

How the Program Works

The program consists of two visits from Edina Police Officers; each visit is 30 minutes in length. During the first visit, officers teach students about safety and about their jobs as public servants. Students are asked to complete the activities in the Junior Police book and have it ready to show on the next visit, usually about one week later.

Rotarians accompany officers on the second classroom visit to look at the coloring books and answer any questions. Officers congratulate students on their work in the book, fingerprint them (unofficially), and award them a Junior Police pin. The program has been going strong for more than 25 years.

Our Audience

Second and third grade students - 7 and 8 year old children - in schools throughout Edina. We speak in short, direct sentences to help them best understand. For example: "There are two Rotary Clubs in Edina." "There are more than 200 people in Edina Rotary." "Rotary helps people all over the world."

Rotarians' Role

Rotarians accompany officers during their second visit to the classrooms. During this visit, Rotarians introduce the kids to Rotary. Rotarians help with the fingerprinting process and pin the Junior Police pin onto their shirts. Edina Morningside Rotary provides funding for the coloring book, fingerprint card and badges.