‘Just normal people’: Rock Hill cops get their game on with community outreach

Several police officers worked off the clock into the late afternoon and evening last week, up to their badges in Legos, board games and playing cards.

The half-dozen or so lawmen spent a few hours at the York County Library, playing with some younger Rock Hill residents as part of “RHPD Got Game!” The monthly outreach effort is a partnership between the York County Library and the Rock Hill Police Department, and became possible after the library secured a grant that paid for an Xbox One and other materials, according to Abbie Townson, young adults librarian.

“We asked the officers if they wanted to be a part of that and they were happy to do so,” she said. “We’re all aware of how police officers are being portrayed across the nation, and I think this is a great opportunity for our police officers and local teens to get together in a non-threatening environment. They are sharing strategies, they are sharing stories about their lives.”

The library classroom was alive with the sounds of video games. In the corner of the room, Officer Wayne Maury and a young boy shared a stack of Legos and talked about the new “Star Wars” movie.

“What do you think happens in this one?” Maury asks.

“Don’t ruin it for me,” an older boy at the table chimes in.

Maury said outreach efforts like the game nights are meant to foster relationships between law enforcement and the community, and to let kids know cops “are regular people.”

“They know from that early age that police are here to help and that we’re just normal people, so that when they do grow up or if they need help, they’ll come to the police,” he said. “It begins that relationship.”

Just a few days before lighting up the chess board, another group of officers lit up the grill and stove for Plentiful Harvest Kitchen in Rock Hill. That team of officers served up a meal of hamburger steak, rice, gravy and green beans for anyone who needed a meal that day, Maury said. They fed about 40 people.

Maury said these types of outreach are all about maintaining police-community relationships, especially in the aftermath of several high-profile incidents involving law enforcement around the country.

“There’s been some events around the country that have brought negative light to police, whether it’s legitimate or not,” he said. “We do want to be out there, we want to send the message that police and community – we’re one and the same. A community that has mistrust toward the police is a community that is dysfunctional.”

Townson said the library tries to hold at least one gaming activity each month, and usually alternates between “RHPD Got Game!” and Chess Club.

“The public will often stop by and ask what’s going on,” she said, “because these are things you don’t expect to see in a public library.”

Nia Lindsay and her son had just finished checking out some books and were on their way out of the library when they noticed the commotion and peeked inside the classroom. Townson greeted them with a smile and welcomed them in.

“I was just observing what was going on,” said Lindsay, who is new to Rock Hill. “This is wonderful. Just to show their faces, that they’re friendly – they’re regular people, too.”

After 20 minutes and trying his hand at a couple of games, Lindsay’s son runs up to his mother and tugs on her shirt: “Mom, can I come back again?” he asks.

“Yeah,” she says, “we’ll come back again.”

This story was originally published December 22, 2015 at 8:13 PM with the headline "‘Just normal people’: Rock Hill cops get their game on with community outreach."