Fort Pierce Police Officers Give C.A. Moore Students “Courage for Life”
FORT PIERCE – When Fort Pierce Police Officer Eddie Dove walked into a fifth-grade classroom at C.A. Moore Elementary School on Friday, all eyes were on him as smiles formed on the faces of students.
It appeared some students already knew who he was and were eager to know why he was visiting their class. Officer Dove’s impromptu visit is one aspect of “Courage for Life,” a new initiative of the Fort Pierce Police Department aimed at mentoring and fostering a positive relationship with students.
Officer Dove led the students in a question and answer session allowing them to ask him any questions they wanted to about police work.
Principal Pam Holmes said, “My prayers have been answered. This is just what our kids need.”
Fort Pierce Police Lieutenant Robert Ridle, said for the past six months he has thought about ways patrol officers can help to change the negative perception of police officers in our community. Being more visible in the schools and more of a service to the schools in the City of Fort Pierce was his first thought. Initially, the idea was to begin reading with students at C.A. Moore Elementary School. However, after meeting with school officials on October 8, 2015, the plan has evolved to include assisting the school, teachers, and students whenever needed and whenever possible.
“I don’t see why our officers can’t periodically stop by to see if the school or teachers need anything,” Lieutenant Ridle said. “I suspect that both our officers and our students will learn a lot from this program.”
When Lieutenant Ridle presented the idea to the officers assigned to Rotation C, he received unanimous support. He got the same response when he discussed the idea with Fort Pierce Police Chief Diane Hobley-Burney, who designated the program “Courage for Life.”
“I love seeing my staff develop programs and ideas that will have an everlasting impact in the lives of our children,” Chief Hobley-Burney said. “Through ‘Courage for Life’ our children will gain confidence and be brave when they need to make difficult choices.”
Once the program components are finalized, Lieutenant Ridle envisions implementing “Courage for Life” in other schools within the city.
