July 17th, 2025

‘Kids and Kops’ program creates positive interactions


By Lethbridge Herald on July 17, 2025.

Joe Manio
Local Journalism Initiative reporter

The Lethbridge Police Service, in partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters, runs the “Kids and Kops” program which provides children on the waitlist for a Big Brother or Big Sister with a week-long introduction to policing. The annual program aims to offer positive interactions with police officers, showcase different aspects of police work, and build trust and positive relationships with law enforcement.

The program includes demonstrations by various specialized units like the K9 Unit, Tactical Team, Explosive Disposal Unit, Ident, and Traffic Response Unit. It also incorporates community outings and fun activities. The goal is to provide children with strong adult role models while they learn about the different roles and responsibilities within the police service.

“We provide some activities, some exercise and we do some safety presentations. We also bring them into the station and we have presentations from some of the different units to let them know what we can do as a police service,” says Constable Donald Realini with the Youth Engagement Unit. “Typically the first day we are in uniform with the children and then the second and third day we are out of uniform. So we get to build those relationships and some mentorships, and have fun. They get to see us as persons and not just a uniform.”

In addition to the practical demonstrations and activities, the program emphasizes the importance of teamwork within the police force and the various roles that contribute to public safety. The program has been running for 23 years now, with the Lethbridge Police Service and Big Brothers Big Sisters sharing the costs of providing this unique experience.

“We came up with a term this year called VIK which stands for ‘Very Important Kid’ and they were thrilled they got to see a lot of the police stations.” says Realini. “We emphasized two important things…be kind, be brave. Also, we encourage that if you ever see a police officer and you need help, feel comfortable just approaching an officer, or just saying hi and having a conversation.”

Big Brothers Big Sisters has been serving Lethbridge since 1973. The organization has been providing mentoring programs for children in the community for over 50 years. They offer various programs to match volunteers with children based on their schedules and commitments.

“Brothers Big Sisters focuses on mentorship and positive influence in their lives. We want to make sure we can give them those tools so that they can navigate life and any sort of tricky situations that they might come up with,” says Big Brothers Sisters case worker Sam Machan.

The Lethbridge Police Service, in partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters, runs the “Kids and Kops” program which provides children on the waitlist for a Big Brother or Big Sister with a week-long introduction to policing. The annual program aims to offer positive interactions with police officers, showcase different aspects of police work, and build trust and positive relationships with law enforcement.

In addition to the practical demonstrations and activities, the program emphasizes the importance of teamwork within the police force and the various roles that contribute to public safety. The program has been running for 23 years now, with the Lethbridge Police Service and Big Brothers Big Sisters sharing the costs of providing this unique experience.

Big Brothers Big Sisters has been serving Lethbridge since 1973. The organization has been providing mentoring programs for children in the community for over 50 years. They offer various programs to match volunteers with children based on their schedules and commitments.

Machan says that this year the kids are a little younger–eight to nine years, which makes them a great age for the Kids and Kops program. She also says that the waiting list is 1-2 years. 

“It’s a little bit long, so we’re always looking for volunteers. We are always out in the community trying to get more bigs. These kiddos wait for a little while, but we want to make sure that all of our matches are safe, happy, and healthy. We want to match them based on compatibility, and honestly…most of the kiddos just want to have someone that they can go and play with; and go to the park, or read a book with, or play Roblox with something like that,” says Machan.

 “That’s what all of our role models do, right? All of our bigs are there to provide them that support that they need in their life, and then hopefully that helps them later on in the years too”.

Machan says that this year the kids are a little younger–eight to nine years, which makes them a great age for the Kids and Kops program. She also says that the waiting list is 1-2 years. 

“It’s a little bit long, so we’re always looking for volunteers. We are always out in the community trying to get more bigs. These kiddos wait for a little while, but we want to make sure that all of our matches are safe, happy, and healthy. We want to match them based on compatibility, and honestly…most of the kiddos just want to have someone that they can go and play with; and go to the park, or read a book with, or play Roblox with something like that,” says Machan.

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