TAUNTON, MASS. (WHDH) - The Taunton Police Department used video games to connect with local kids Tuesday.
The event, which brought together police and members of the Old Colony YMCA, was organized by “Step Into Your Potential Now,” a nonprofit that helps children build talents and life skills.
Each kid was paired up with a different officer and had the chance to go head to head in several games.
“We like to engage with our community — we do all kind of community events — but, to our surprise, this is the first time doing a gaming event. We think it’s a way to have a positive impact on some of the kids in our community that we might not have reached out to at an earlier time,” said Lt. Eric Nichols, adding that many TPD members were just as eager to play games as the kids. “When we first got here, I think some of the officers were probably more excited than some of the children.”
“I play games all the time. I’m online playing games at night. So I think this is a good opportunity for us to play with some of the children and maybe play against each other as well,” said Chief Edward Walsh. “I think it’s good for the kids, because the kids don’t always see us in this light.”
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