Police Officers, Others Participate in Great American Teach-In

Chief Kenneth Albano described the scene for fifth-graders in the media center.

An eighth-grader had committed a gang-related crime a few years ago, and Albano, a sergeant at the time, had pinned him to the ground. But Albano said he soon realized he wasn’t arresting a stranger.

“Sarge, it’s me,” Albano said the kid told him.

The boy was someone Albano had known for years—a good kid who fell into the wrong crowd.

It was a story Albano used to show the fifth-graders the dangers of gangs during the Thursday.

The annual event, presented by SERVE, the volunteer arm of the Hillsborough County School District, brought professionals and hobbyists into the classroom to demonstrate the benefits of a good education. This year’s volunteer speakers included active members and veterans of the United States armed forces, police, firefighters, paramedics, animal trainers, attorneys, politicians and more.

Albano and Temple Terrace Police Capt. Mike Pridemore were at Riverhills Elementary in the afternoon. Outside, Pridemore showed students how police lift fingerprints, demonstrated how they put someone in handcuffs and let them sit in the back of a patrol car. Inside, Albano focused on respect, trust, and the difference between friends and gangs.

Although there are no known gangs in Temple Terrace, there are gangs in Hillsborough County, Albano said.

Gangs may profess to be your friends, he told students, but they prey on people who don’t fit in and use them to break the law by damaging property and hurting people.

“Gangs are not the place to be,” he said, adding students need to be accountability partners for one another and help keep each other out of trouble.

Albano said he was glad to come to the school Thursday and encouraged other officers to participate in the teach-in. Police officers and members of the SWAT team were at to speak to kids in kindergarten, first-, third- and fifth-grades.

“I enjoy doing it,” Albano said. “I enjoy the interaction.”

Thanks to the Temple Terrace Police Department and for submitting photos. If you have photos you'd like to share, add them to the gallery by clicking the “Add more photos” link or email them to ashley.reams@patch.com.