Cops cards: Collect them all, win a pizza party

Students are collecting baseball cards with familiar faces on them, but instead of major leaguers, these cards depict some Tega Cay heroes.

The Tega Cay Police Department kicked off its second annual baseball card program on Feb. 15, challenging students to collect 20 cards of police officers who serve the community every day, said Maj. David Nelson, department spokesman.

“It’s the best way to interact and connect with the children of our community,” he said. “It lets them know in a small way that we’re people, too.”

The first student from Gold Hill Middle, Tega Cay Elementary and Gold Hill Elementary schools who collects all the baseball cards will win a pizza party for eight friends with Chief Steve Parker and their school’s principal, Nelson said.

“Our children are our future and we want to have a good relationship with them as they get older,” Nelson said. “We are here for our community, and our children are absolutely a part of that.”

Gold Hill Middle Principal Matt Wallace said the program helps children build positive relationships with officers.

“It allows children and young adults an opportunity to interact with police officers in a positive way while getting to know the names and faces of the men and women hired to protect their community,” he said.

The officers stationed in schools already have a good relationship with students and the baseball cards are a way to expand interaction with officers in the street, Nelson said.

“That alone is a huge success. Kids just love them,” he said. “We don’t want kids to be afraid of us; we are there for them.”

Tega Cay Elementary Principal Chris Gardner said schools value their relationship with their local police department.

“We think this program is an incredible way for our students to know, trust and respect the important roles these men and women play in our community,” he said.

Terry Brewer, Gold Hill Elementary principal, said the program helps students learn that officers are approachable.

“Having the cards with the pictures and names or information on them for students to collect helps the officers to be viewed as positive role models that students can look up to in the community,” she said.

To participate, students should go to tegacaysc.org to download the official rules and a baseball card checklist. Students can collect cards at the police department, find an officer on patrol or anywhere out in the community.

For safety reasons, students should not approach an officer who is on official business, such as making an arrest or conducting a traffic stop.

This story was originally published February 28, 2016 at 9:15 PM with the headline "Cops cards: Collect them all, win a pizza party."