Cops, kids and pizza at Clover football and cheer camp

They showed up in royal blue T-shirts and khaki pants. There was no need for handcuffs and guns.

The 13 officers from the Clover Police Department and three from the York County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call at Clover High School on Friday, where 77 kids were scuffling on the ground and yelling.

The children were taking part in the D2 Football and Cheer camp and organizers wanted to surprise the campers with a visit from local law enforcement. Their aim? To teach a valuable lesson: that “cops are good guys and that they are just like their fathers and uncles and brothers and sisters,” said Yasmin Plummer, D2 vice president.

“At the same time, we want the officers to meet these kids and get to meet their parents and know just who they are policing … we decided that we can’t just talk about solutions to the world’s problems, we have to start creating them.”

The officers played a game of football, watched the girls cheer and finished the night with pizza and a group photo.

Tracy Kimball

This story was originally published July 22, 2016 at 10:20 PM with the headline "Cops, kids and pizza at Clover football and cheer camp."