[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 83 (Thursday, May 13, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H2300]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 1730
RECOGNIZING THE YEADON POLICE DEPARTMENT
(Ms. SCANLON asked and was given permission to address the House for
1 minute.)
Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Yeadon Police
Department, which recently started the first police-community garden in
the country as part of an ongoing program to develop positive
relationships between police and community members.
The garden gives officers and residents an opportunity to meet in a
cooperative environment, to open lines of communication and foster
understanding.
Officers and residents work together in the garden throughout the
growing season, and the food grown there is shared with those who work
the soil, as well as area food banks. They hope to start six or seven
more gardens through the community.
The mayor of Yeadon, Rohan Hepkins, says that his community has seen
a decrease in crime during the pandemic. He credits police outreach
efforts, including the department's reliance on community-oriented
policing and outreach to the school district and younger folks so that
they look at the police not as enemies but as allies.
I commend Police Chief Anthony ``Chachi'' Paparo and Mayor Hepkins
for their efforts to improve community policing and to ensure that
everyone in the community feels safe.
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