Olivia Simon. Contributed photo.
During a time when the societal view of police is not always positive, Brookfield School Resource Officer Jerry Hockey was pleased to see the support expressed for police in a slogan contest he ran at Brookfield schools.
“A lot of nice comments,” said Hockey, a senior officer. “There were so many that were just complimentary to our officers.”
The department ran a contest several years ago in which students submitted slogans to be painted on police cruisers. Since then, the department has retired several cruisers and acquired new ones so Hockey, who is assigned to work full time at the school during the school year, put out the call for new slogans. He received 21 responses from the high school and 52 from the middle school, picked the top five from each school and had other members of the department vote on them.
Jeremy Lopeno. Contributed photo.
Jeremy Lopeno had the winning slogan from the middle school, “Play your part, be smart. Don’t drink and drive.”
There was a tie at the high school. Olivia Simon had two slogans picked, one on each side of a car, “No safety? Know pain,” and “Be alert. Accidents hurt.” Tyler Coulter won for “Be a Warrior and join the fight against drugs.”
A number of slogans that were not chosen were complimentary to the police department, but did not embrace an issue as the winning ones did, such as “Our police are brave,” “Bravery is not the absence of fear but action in the face of fear,” and “I leave empty a spot in my bed at night so that you can sleep soundly in yours.”
And then there were humorous ones that Hockey did not think were suitable in this context, such as “You might be fast, but we’re faster,” and “Homicide. Our day starts when yours ends.”
Jeremy said he wanted to focus on drunken driving, which he said is “a very big problem that’s going on.”
He mulled possible ideas over two or three class periods – after he had completed his school work, he said – in coming up with the one he submitted.
Jeremy expressed a positive view of police and said he feels a lot safer with a policeman in the building.
“They’re pretty great,” he said of Hockey and his predecessor, Cpl. Ron Mann, who retired. “They’re nice to the students.”
Each winner received a $100 Eastwood Mall gift card.
