BENNETTSVILLE -- Bennettsville police officers have "adopted" students at Bennettsville Primary School. They pledged to volunteer at the school on a regular basis so children can see them in a different light.
Officers visited classes and talked with students and teachers, Wednesday morning.
"It allows us the children as well as the community to know that we're trying to be as proactive as we can to change the mindset of some of the kids and the way they may feel about police officers," said Chief Larry McNeil, Bennettsville Police Department.
Bennettsville Primary principal, Clifton Harrington, says he couldn't be more pleased with the officers efforts to reach his students. He says it takes a village to raise a child.
"The community is working together to educate all the children of Marlboro County and that's important to me to have a police department come in and to adopt classrooms in our school," Harrington said.
Officers also gave boxes of school supplies to every student at Bennettsville Primary. The boxes contain pencils, glue sticks, hand sanitizer and crayons.
"We're giving something. We're giving them something and it's not anything they would be expecting. Normally when kids see officers they're afraid, but when you give somebody something and give it from the heart, it changes the perception of what they may feel or think about you," explained McNeil.
Several of the students thanked the officers for the supplies. School administrators say they look forward to seeing more of the officers to start building a relationship with students.
