It was a spontaneous decision, but a Coatesville police officer’s run through the city’s reopened splash pad, hand-in-hand with local children, not only made a positive impression locally, but also won a national photo contest.

The photo that captured the community-minded fun was named the June winner of the ongoing photo contest hosted by the Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, according to an NBC 10 report by Brendan Gee.

[uam_ad id=”58459″]

Advertisement

“We encourage ‘park and walks’ where officers get out of their cars and get into the community — whether it’s playing basketball or checking on the local businesses,” said Coatesville Police Chief Jack Laufer.

“We encourage that, and we’ve been pretty successful. It’s not about one officer being involved in community policing; it’s about the whole department.”

Read more about the award-winning photo on NBC 10 here.

[uam_ad id=”58462″]