Essay Winners Praise Police for Their Work

True to his name, fifth-grader Jared Kops appreciates police.

In a prize-winning essay selected from among hundreds submitted by fifth-graders throughout the Valley, Jared took pains to dispel one popular myth about his almost-namesakes.

“Some people misjudge police officers,” he wrote. “They may say that police officers do nothing but ride around in their patrol cars all day long, drinking coffee and eating doughnuts. THIS IS NOT TRUE! Police officers work hard, long hours trying to make our neighborhood a safe one.”

Jared and 17 other students were honored Wednesday for their “Why I Appreciate Police” essays during a ceremony at the Devonshire Division of the Los Angeles Police Department.

With parents, officers and reporters looking on, Jared, a student at Germain Street Elementary School, took top honors among boys. Madison Ruggieri of Balboa Magnet School won for girls. One first prize was four tickets to Disneyland; the other, four passes to Universal Studios.

Organizers called the essay contest an extension of the citywide Police Appreciation Day, observed for the first time last Friday. Students from about 30 schools entered the contest.

“When you’re talking about fifth-grade kids, you’re talking about pure innocence,” Devonshire Capt. Vance Proctor said after the brief awards ceremony. “What they write comes straight from the heart.”

Madison’s winning essay focused on the LAPD’s community involvement, something she had experienced as a Girl Scout.

“They become police officers because they want to help us in any way they can,” she wrote. Following her win, Madison assured reporters that the feelings conveyed in her essay were genuine. “I really had a fun time writing it,” she said.