By Carissa Sitki
Submitted photo
Officer Tefertiller (or “Officer T” as he’s known among Jerseyville youth) of the Jerseyville Police Department (JPD) plays a game of Pig in Tradewinds Ct. with Liam Madix, and Maddox and Roman Williams, last week.
Officer Tefertiller (or “Officer T” as he’s known among Jerseyville youth) of the Jerseyville Police Department (JPD) pulled over to shoot some hoops in Tradewinds Ct. with Liam Madix, and Maddox and Roman Williams, last week.
A neighbor, Diane Osborne Wise, observed the scene and told the Journal, “He just stopped when the boys were playing and he played a game of Pig with them. So awesome!”
This is not an uncommon occurrence, as a photo of the game was posted on Facebook and many commenters praised Officer T’s work in the community, citing examples of other times he has been involved in the lives of local children.
Officer T is involved with the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program and TEENS Program as well as various other ways of community outreach, as his impromptu game of basketball attests.
According to JPD Police Chief Brad Blackorby, Officer T “does a great job at connecting with kids which makes them more comfortable with officers.”
Since the main interactions with police that make the news are negative ones, some youth learn to fear police. According to Blackorby, JPD prides itself with maintaining a strong relationship with the community to better protect and serve.
“It’s important for law enforcement to have positive interactions with their community,” said Blackorby. “Officer T does a great job at that.”
JPD hopes these positive run-ins with their officers will foster a sense of trust between their department and local youth.
“Hopefully [the kids] would feel comfortable enough to come talk to us if they ever had an issue,” said Blackorby.
