Anne Arundel County Public Schools, MD Food 4 Thought, 22 Sep 2017

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From YouTube: Food 4 Thought - Cpl. Megan Ott, AACOPD

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Jodi Speaks with Cpl. Megan Ott, Anne Arundel County Police Department.

A

How are in Toronto, County police actively involved in improving the health and the well-being of the residents in Anne Arundel County next on food for thought,.

A

Hi I'm Jodie Russi, the host for food-for-thought, and thanks for watching today, I'm joined by corporal Megan OTT from the inner on the County Police Department and we're gonna talk about the many activities that the Anne Arundel County Police in Anne Arundel County, Public Schools actively do together welcome corporal out to food for thought, hi Jody thanks for having me, can you tell the viewers a little bit about yourself and what is your role with the Anne Arundel County Police Department? So.

B

Jodie, my name is corporal Maginot, like you said I'm with the Anne Arundel County Police Department I've been a County officer for ten years I'm, currently with our Community Relations Crime Prevention Unit I've been there for about two-and-a-half years prior to that.

B

I was a school resource officer for about two and a half years at Chesapeake, Bay middle and then prior to that I started my career out in patrol in our Western District Maryland City area I'm, not from Maryland I'm from the Philadelphia area, so go Eagles, but I made Maryland in Anne Arundel County, my home I just celebrated my fourth year of being married to my husband and we have a beautiful two-year-old daughter, but.

A

So we're really ready for her to be part of the school lunch program. She'll be excited for them. Hopefully, she's gonna do all of the fruits and vegetables. Just like you do, and we know all of the police officers do yes. So can you share with the viewers a little bit you know at the beginning, I just want to talk about the police department. You know what how do you engage with the community and what activities do you participate with that you're? Really a resource and you're so much more than what I think?

A

Sometimes people think what a police do right, they're, always protecting us and they're our safety and enforcement in some cases, but I think you do so much more. So can you share what are some of the activities? What's some of the community engagement that falls under your jurisdiction, so.

B

I'll be honest, I think I have the best job in our department and it's that community outreach aspect of it. So every September we're at the County Fairgrounds. You could come and find us we'll be under canopy, we'll have crime, prevention tips and different programs that we offer in Anne Arundel County. But it's also a nice way for the community members to be able to approach a police officer like myself and ask the question address concerns that they're, seeing in their community.

B

Besides that we participate in the lunch buddy program. What miss Thomas from Pioneer water elementary school came up with this awesome idea of a way to kind of build that trust in those relationships between Anne Arundel, County, public school students at Pioneer, Orchard, elementary school and the police department. So once a month we would go and kind of have this fun casual social sit-down with the kids while they ate lunch and I'll be honest. The best part for the officers were they wanted the school lunch and, of course,.

A

They filled half of their trays with fruits and vegetables.

B

Yes, yes, they did, of course they did and maybe ice cream. So the nice thing is: we did that last year and this year we're going to be back at pining, Orchard elementary school, but we're looking at expanding to two additional elementary schools. So I'm really excited about expanding that program. That dream of miss Thomas to other schools could.

A

Wait before we talk more about lunch, buddies, let's just go back to the fair, because I know there's so many participants at the fair when people go. Are you still up in that resource? I can't think it's the resource area at the top of the hill right, so.

B

If you're familiar with the fairgrounds, it's building three, so it's the very top building next to where they have picnic tables and the canopy there we're gonna be in that building with some other vendors. But you can't you can't miss us and I.

A

Think it's something when we participated in the past. It is nice because I think it's one-on-one. You definitely get all the families to come in, but to have the one-on-one with the young children to get them engaged and asking you the questions because I'm sure they ask some pretty crazy questions. They.

B

Have a lot of good questions: some are a little crazy, but also our police explorers will be there and some Police Cadets will be there as well as our crossing guards doing some recruiting, because we do need to hire more crossing guards. So, if anyone's looking for a job come out to the County Fair find that crossing guard get that information and apply to be a crossing guard. Okay,.

A

So you just threw out other words that I was an explorer what's an explorer in the police department. Well,.

B

I'm in charge of the police, Explorer post, it's a weekly meeting every Wednesday evening at Brooklyn, Park middle school, it's for young men and women who are interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement. You have to be 14 and in the ninth grade up to 20 we meet weekly, we kind of pitch hate, a picture of what being a police officer will be like we're going to learn. 10 codes, we're going to learn how to do it.

B

Traffic stop you're gonna, get to meet officers that do not quite patrol work to see all the types of career paths that are available for law enforcement. So.

A

And then so there was an explorer and there was a cadet cadet.

B

So our cadets are paid they're, 18 years old, till 21 same thing: men are women that are interested in pursuing law enforcement, but they're paid county employees, which is really nice. So they do three-month rotations at different units, so really get to explore what Anne Arundel County has to offer, and it's so much more than what people think is that a cop on the road? So it's really great and.

A

I think that's what having a lot of exposure with you know and I know we're going to talk about it further along in the show, but we get to work together, often and I often go home and I say gosh I wonder like did I ever think. I was really gonna, be working with. You know, corporal odd, numerous different things with the police department and I definitely could see the community involvement and just you're so much more in the community and resembling the communities you serve.

A

I mean it's really cool that whole cultivating the communities of wellness is so alive and well with the police department. It's where so Anne Arundel County Fair. Definitely we love it and you know we're big supporters of that too. And then you talked about the lunch buddies so on the lunch buddies I've been able to retweet some of those as well and I agree with you. Definitely the plates are full of fruits and vegetables.

A

I love when the police officers having the school lunch too, because what better way to have all the nutrients they need and the fuel they need right to be charged. All day, so, please continue that and we would love it. You'd be welcome or any officers welcome in a school to you know, come in and have school lunch. You know with the students at any OU location, it's just a great way to be a role model and to really represent what we want.

A

You know our students to see of our community officers and those good eating habits. Yes, thank you. So what are some other community activities? Is there any other community or agencies that you partner with well.

B

Anne Arundel County police are great and we know that that building that trust, that relationship with the community is how we're going to be successful as police officers as a police department. So it's really working together, build those bridges, build that trust that foundation within our communities in Arundel County. Not only do they have myself and my partner corporal Shiloh that do community-wide outreach. We have individual officers assigned to each district, they're called pact officers, which is policing community together officers and they work within their community within their district.

B

Not only that, we recently brought back our Yap program with there's our youth activities program. That's really going to get back into those schools get back in with the officers and create those relationships that we're looking to build so.

A

Who oversees all this I mean there's just so much. Is that all under your shop? No, it is not. Okay, there's so many I mean every time. I talk to you, there's more and more and I'm always so impressed it's just unbelievable, but the police department's doing right.

B

And we all help each other out to the packed officers from Western or northern or Eastern when they are looking for extra help or having an event. They always invite us and we do the same with them. So it's really, even though we're countywide or it's a northern event, we want to be involved with northern, just like the northern pact officers are going to.

A

Be so does that officer also have assignments in that district, so would they also be on the street in that district and doing the community outreach or no? Is it a separate? It's a.

B

Separate role, it's a separate role, they're, focusing on building that community relation that trust. However, they do sometimes do patrols and in their communities that they're working, of course, while going through community events and building that trust that we're looking for right.

A

How about the bike police I think that's a pretty neat thing again: I wasn't really aware of a bike police officer. I guess I see them, but are they throughout the county as well or now? Is that specific to our region? So.

B

We have two officers currently assigned to our bike patrol unit full time, so they full-time ride bikes all year round, but we have a lot of officers, kind of decentralized certified to ride bikes like myself, so.

A

You we're gonna, see those activity, light work right.

B

I'm getting that exercise that I need so you're gonna see those officers in your community. We do bike safety events, bike, rodeo events, teaching the children bike, safety courses and I.

A

Know I'm in Anne, Arundel County part of the healthy and Arundel coalition. They do we fall. They do that huge event where they have the century ride and I think there's a bike rodeo that they do there as well for the young and is bike rodeo, so for young young, great, our youngest riders I. Guess we.

B

Would call them yes, so lifeline 100 is in October every year. A huge ride that we assist with the police, Explorer post will come out and we're gonna be up there when it's still dark at like 5:00 a.m. helping to direct vehicles, we're at the park for the participants.

A

And we I know also will be there, so we always go with our staff and we always have a few registered dietitians in Arundel County Public Schools wellness Council we go out, so we do talk a lot about fueling your you know, brain and body. So obviously we want our students to be fueled for learning, but we want all those participants to be fueled for writing. We 100 miles all right, so we want them ready to go. We do talk a lot about the nutrition components of our school lines.

A

Should we talk about you know, fruits and vegetables, and how to choose local fruits and vegetables. We have a beanbag toss game which I know you've been seen before and you've been privy to that. But again, that's another great community event and it's another way in Arundel. County right has numerous agencies coming together to make a difference and positively impact the community at large? How about Department of Aging so.

B

I'm, the liaison for the Department of Aging, so I work a lot with our senior centers. Actually recently, we just had a pool tournament which I get to ref, which is pretty cool and I learn about pool because before I had nothing I didn't know about it. So the pool tournament which Annapolis won can I say: Annapolis won I just interrupted to take yeah.

A

So they do so look cool you mentioned pool. So what do you do with that? So.

B

I'm the ref, because I read the rules I get I'm in charge of the trophy, which is the best part, is handing that trophy over to the winners of the pool toward a minute, but they also host coffee with a cop. So course I got ID donuts, because we love donuts and coffee. Maybe.

A

We should start doing some fresh strawberries and cantaloupe.

B

A

So we, when they do that, do that you do that at the centers.

B

At the senior centers they advertise it in their pamphlets. So look inside there, it's a nice once again informal opportunity to sit down with myself. Sometimes a bike officer will join me or a reserve officer will join me and ask some of those questions address some concerns that they're seeing I'm get that information that they're looking for. So do your.

A

Cna, you use those acronyms and I'm, not sure if I'm gonna get them all, do the the community officers in those regions do they also partner because the centers, the Senior Center, the senior centers, are also regional right? So would they also so you do it probably at all or many of them? Oh okay, all of them right.

B

Pact officers, they focus a lot on our public libraries. So there's a lot of coffee with a cop at our public libraries and you'll see your pack, your community officer officers, okay,.

A

So that's nice, so did they go? Is that held like in their resource rooms in the in Toronto, County and public libraries? I? Would guess? Yes, okay, so that's that's really interesting, because I think again, every time I talk to you and every time I'm with you, it's just more and more embedded everywhere and then the I know you mentioned crossing guards and I know you're, always looking you know for hiring more cars crossing guards, we're always looking to hire more food service staff.

A

But it's very interesting that every time we go by a school that crossing guard is actually a member of at least a police department and I. Think often people don't know that they say well. If they're there at the school, they must belong to Anne Arundel, County, Public, Schools and I. Think that partnership has been going on for many many years right.

B

So if you're interested in career as a crossing guard, you'll have to go to the a County org website under police department, because their Police Department employees, okay,.

A

And we only have like a minute left before we're gonna break in then we're gonna talk about all the things that we really do together. School resources officers are also, you know, coming through the police department as well, correct, yes, ma'am and then they're throughout and I know just at ease before we break that's how we first both met right. So never forget that day.

A

It's very interesting that we met when you were a resource officer and I needed a resource at a school and I needed that officer, and you were right there you were so professional. You were so polite. It was a tough situation that you got me through hands down without any question at all and just so professional and in looking at the best needs for the police department for all of our students and for all of our schools. So for that I. Thank you Thanks. So we're gonna talk a little bit more.

A

When we come back about all the great things we do together. Okay, don't go away, we're gonna, come right back after the break and we're gonna talk about summer meals. We're gonna talk about mobile meals and we're gonna talk about the Brooklyn Park farmers market, something that the Anne Arundel County police in Anne, Arundel, County, Public, Schools work together each and every day as we look to cultivate communities of wellness.

A

Welcome back and thanks for staying tuned food for thought, my guest is corporal mega, not from the Anne Arundel, County, Police Department, and we're talking about all the great partnerships and all the great work that the county does so corporal. uh We talked about all the great things that the police department does for Anne, Arundel, County and I. Think as each time you and I meet I learn more and more, and today is just another example.

A

You taught me more, you know more phrases, more programs, more initiatives that you all do, that I think everybody watching should be saying: wow the police department is really in it. You are truly community partners each and every day, but now to talk about the fun stuff, because everybody would say to me rhod. Why do you work with the police, department and I I?

A

Think it's kind of strange, originally I thought: how could we really partner, but for those watching we do a summer meals program every year and I reached out to you in conjunction with some of our investigative folks. Here, that's how we made a connection, but we realized you and I already had a little bit of a connection before this outreach and free summer. Meals are offered to all or not to all, but too many schools in Anne, Arundel County.

A

We go to community agencies, we do mobile meals, we do open sites, we do sites with Anne, Arundel, County, Recreation and Parks. So really we want kids, fueled and ready to learn ready to work ready to play all year long 365 days so, a few years ago, many many years ago, we started mobile meals and it's a bus that goes into certain communities. We started primarily in the West County and then we added in other areas, and we said how could we really enrich that experience?

A

So not only are we gonna give students free meals, their healthy meals, they have fruits and vegetables in awful local, but we want a resource. What does somebody have to offer that community so low and behold the dietitians in the learn to live program at the Department of Health? They were fully on board and they talked about dental health and they talked about recipes and how to do all these great things, and then we partnered with the libraries we already talked about them.

A

How do we get free books in kids hands and how do we get them reading all summer and we said we're missing police and fire? How do we not reach out so before summer meals started, I reached out to you and I said I think we have this great opportunity. We go on these buses, we beep the horn. We give all these kids that come to the bus, free meals. What could you do as police officers and you instantly said sign me up? I love the concept.

A

Let me see how it works right and I want to do it so for somebody watching that was really quick and I'll probably expand it more. But if somebody was watching they're, probably saying well, what did police do? How are they part of this mobile meals that happens in the summer right.

B

So, like you mentioned, this is our first time partnering during mobile meals. So not only did I do some heavy lifting to help loading the food in and out of the bus where we set up at each of our mobile locations. But it's really just interacting with the children and their families are coming to mobile meals to get those healthy meals asking about how their summer went hearing about those type of camps that they did.

B

What they've been doing for the summer I shockingly identify many kids excited to go back to school, but they had some really good, really good activities that they were participating during the summer. So just once again, building that community relationship that partnership within the community with the children and the families that attend mobile meals and.

A

You would go so obviously you were in uniform right. So what better way to represent the division right represent the police but be out there, and you know I heard you were part of handing out the meals like you really embrace the whole community. That was out there. You talked to every every young person, every old person, every family member. Yes,.

B

Ma'am and they got a nice sticker, this a junior police officer and that's awesome.

A

That even makes it well worth it right. So it's really just a neat neat way. Just say we want you fueled and ready to go while summer, but we really really want you to enter. You know we want to introduce our partners but see the value that the police has and and I think it was evident. I know we tweeted some pictures. I know we saw huge smiles. We saw everything going on, so we really wanted to make a difference and want to continue to expand that program yeah.

A

So it worked well I think there was some. You know, dialogue back and forth right all summer between you and I and then lo and behold that we say the police is a perfect partner at the farmers market right and I loved being with you every Monday. The farmers market is something that we opened at Brooklyn Park middle school.

A

So it's on the grounds we did it in conjunction with the Department of Health, so Anne Arundel, County Department of Health is the lead agency with us, and we said: if you go to a market, you want to buy fruits and vegetables, but you need to have a destination.

A

How would you I'm gonna, explain it further, but as a newcomer to our farmers market and as such a valuable newcomer to this farmers market, how would you explain to a viewer? You know we're a listener. You were what is the farmer's market? Why were you there? What did you do? What was your part of it? So.

B

Again, this is our first time partnering for the farmers market and we were really excited and Monday's turned out to be. One of my favorite days to work is getting there and it's so much more than a farmers market. It's a resource market to enrich the community is what ACPs and Department of Health set up. You get your free library books, you get a free, you get a nutritious meals from the farmers, and you could see me every Monday going over to the farm stand and bringing fruits and vegetables home to my family.

B

So it was a great resource and we loved attending and we.

A

Really call it a destination and I mean I love that you call it a resource market. It is so much more right. I mean it's a food desert up there, so there's lack of fresh fruits and vegetables to that community and to have Schlegel farms who they grow for us throughout the year. So we get to buy and he cultivates all of our butternut squash for roasted butternut squash recipe and our acorn squash and our pumpkin. His cabbage is beautiful, which we've seen his cabbage at the market right.

A

So it's so great to have a local farmer had a Waldorf Maryland partner with US Department of Health police being there, every Monday was so valuable that we just kind of wrote it off. We sit from this point forward polices in so.

B

You're stuck with us a lot.

A

Are gonna be there and corpo silo right was also there. Shiloh was there with us all the time and I just want to paint the picture for everybody watching so as families would come right and I you seen this, but the most precious picture is you walking home one of the younger community members right, a young young girl. You walked home I, think it was one of those second or third Mondays of the market and to see you like hand-in-hand getting her home and across the busy road and in a.

B

Marked crosswalk, that's.

A

Right it, it was just priceless. You know everybody who would have hesitation like whoa. What are the police doing here? You literally left no whoa about what at the police, it's like here's. Why we're here and here's all the great things that we're gonna do and I think it went from football to basketball to what else right soccer soccer you had the bike police officers there we had comfort the dog there. We had I mean everything, so it really encompassed everything that you talked about in the first part of the show in us.

A

You know in a little block every Monday right.

B

And I want to expand that for next year's farmer. Market I want to continue to show the resources that Anne Arundel County police have. Like you mentioned comfort. The dog bike patrol was out there. It's continued to bring out those resources, bring out that brand-new f250 mark the police truck that we got and let the kids climb around in there check out some of the cool equipment and gears that we get. We get to have us police officers and I.

A

Think you had, um there was a police car once or twice right, because we laughs we cut we, you know we always kept saying: let's turn some sirens on right. We wanted it to view the whole experience, but for the students or the youngsters to be able to go up and to be able to see all that and be part of that and I can't.

A

Thank you enough because you know, as the market goes right, you see the farmer first and obviously it was always to showcase his fruits and vegetables, and then we had WIC and snap participants were able to get free matching dollars. So if they spent money with the mr. Schlegel or the Schlegel farms, they were able to get free dollars from the Maryland farmers market Association and that was funded through somebody in Anne, Arundel County. So again, another community give back, they got recipes, they were able to sample fruits and vegetables.

A

The free books right I mean you were always next to that, and it's always full right. It was always full of students and elderly right.

B

Folks from all ages, mm-hmm.

A

And they would be all out there, they would read to students, they would be able to color and then once they got to your station, it was also you had resources. You had handouts, I'm sure you got asked a lot of questions. Yes, a lot of questions you would have crossing guards there, so it really encompassed the whole thing and we keep saying you know looking forward. How do we, who else are we missing there right? How do we get one more partner to join us? That's also. That area is also the senior citizens right.

A

That was one of the aging centers right was also there.

B

Brooklyn Senior Center is right attached to the Brooklyn Park middle school, so.

A

They were able to come out and they were able to participate so truly from mobile meals, keeping kids, fueled, keeping them going and then looking at the farmers market, and it was a commitment you were there, every Monday. If you weren't there, you definitely, you know, let us know like hey I'm, not going to be able to come, but so-and-so is going to be there.

A

In my place you had the signage, you have the vehicles and you just had that engagement right, that trust factor and the picture of you walking home and I still remember walking that girl home was really it was priceless and it made such a difference for us. So looking at expanding right, I think we'll want to expand the mobile meals. Do you see that, as part of you know, a role that you would want to do as well for those it's in meteor areas where we take those free summer, meals on the mobile meals? Yes,.

B

Hopefully, next year I can expand this year. I was only able to ten I think two locations- West County Annapolis City, but I really set a goal that I want to be able to hit every mobile meal location for next summer and.

A

I would love to if we could I mean just like we did this year. You know we kind of post it. So if somebody's watching from the community- and they say all right- I live in the meed area and I'm gonna be able to go to one of those mobile meal locations. I'd love to say today, we're gonna have recipes and dental care and we're gonna talk about how to fill your plates with fruits and vegetables, but next Thursday, because we only did it on Thursdays and I guess.

A

I did fail to say that we do the meals Monday through Thursday, but the resources are on Thursday too. To get you through the weekend. We could say it will be police and we're going to talk about. It could be bike safety right, it could be crosswalk, so you talked about the crosswalks, so we'd really be able to say to the community here's the value, here's what you do and how do we expand that? So we only have a few minutes left. So I knew once we started talking about summer and farmers market.

A

It would take up a lot. You know what other initiatives are. Is there anything else you're looking at to you know, share with the audience that's watching or just to talk about again that we didn't talk about in our partnerships and our collaboration of what we do well.

B

We're really involved with social media. An arena county police department has their own Facebook page and Twitter page that our Pio continuously updates. So you're not only getting like information. Salt bulletins wanted posters but you're getting notification of events or things we're hosting within our own community. A lot of times I, hear people say I wish I knew about this event that the county police was going to be at well.

B

If you want to know about these events, you need to follow us on our Facebook page or our Twitter page and get those notifications of where we're going to be at and I.

A

Think we've tweeted right all summer, I know when we were together, we were doing some Twitter back and forth and as often as I could have you with a you know, with a student with a youngster in the community with a family from the community. We definitely tweeted. So thank you for that and thank you for posting what you do, because it is a great resource for anybody in the community to go. Look right and.

B

The nice thing a lot of stuff, the positive stuff that we're doing with our Police Department, it's not being covered by a lot of mainstream media, so you're gonna be able to get those interactions that stuff that the County Police are really working and striving for building those relationships within our communities. Yeah.

A

Well, we thank you for the relationship. We thank you for the collaboration and definitely the partnership and I have to say you're, one of the most fun groups that we work with each and every day and I think everybody at the farmers market, which was our destination or, as you say, resource day, really really valued what you offered and what you provided each and every Monday. So thank you, Thank You Julie.

A

Thank you for joining me and watching how an around the County Police Department in Anne, Arundel, County, Public Schools continue to partner and collaborate on so many activities. Not only do we look at mobile meals and free summer meals and how to eat healthy, we're also looking at that resource day or the destination, which is the Brooklyn Park farmers market together we are really making the health and the well-being a priority for all of the residents. We serve in Anne, Arundel, County, truly cultivating communities of wellness.

A

If you have any questions or concerns about the school meals program, please call me at 4:10 2 to 250 900 thanks again for watching and I'll see you next time, I'm food for thought.