Police reach out to community

The promise of riding down water slides in 85-degree weather was one way Portales police were able to keep more than 200 second-grade students from getting out of control Monday at Rotary Park.

Christina Calloway: Portales News-Tribune

Angelina Martinez, left, is chased by Tristan Puckett during a game of Duck, Duck, Goose, but instead of tagging him with her hand, she sprayed him with a water gun. Duck, Duck, Goose was just one of the many games second-grade students from James Elementary participated in during the Adopt-a-Cop Olympics at Rotary Park. More than 200 students participated.

Relay races, childhood games and tons of water were used Monday during the Adopt-a-Cop Olympics, an annual event local police officers participate in to bridge the gap of communication between them and the community's youth.

Christina Calloway: PNT photo

Connor Pino rolls a ball with a brush back to his team member in a relay race.

"It's to give kids face time with the local police officers so that we can gain their trust," Lt. Pat Gallegos said. "We want them to see us in a positive light."

Here are responses to questions to officers and James Elementary students involved in Adopt-a-Cop:

The officers:

• Sgt. Chris Williams, 37, said his favorite part of the event was "just getting out to play with the kids to show them we're people too, just like them."
• Officer Reggie Yarbrough, 47, said if she could take the children anywhere for a day, she would "take them to a sea-life center. I don't think that's something most of them have experienced."
• Officer Amador Lujan, 25, said the event he could beat his fellow officers in was the obstacle course "because I can run faster than all of them."
• Sgt. Chris Valdez, 32, said his favorite sport as a second-grade student was pee-wee football. "I've grown up around football my whole life and I played it through college."

Christina Calloway: Portales News-Tribune

Jose Ibarra, left, and Giselle Sotelo race in peanut sacks.

The students:

• Sarah Ortega said her favorite part of the day at the park was getting wet because it's nice and cold on a hot summer day.
• Jaeden Gonzales said his favorite game of the day was the water balloons because we got to play with water and some of them popped on people.
• Nevaeh Carbajal said she wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up "so I can help the animals and keep them from not being extinct."
• Shannon Kieren said her opinion on police officers changed after hanging out with them for a day. "At first I thought they were mean and scary, but today they're nice and friendly. We played dodge ball and kickball."