Ocean Township Police Department's Popular Trading Card Program Has Started

The Ocean Township Police Department has launched its popular trading card contest for Waretown children.

This year's selections consist of 25 collectible cards which represent both sworn and civilian members of the township police department. The front of each card has the officer's picture on it. The back of the card has biographical information and a personal or safety message from the officer.

The cards are a way to "break the ice" with elementary school children and encourage them to interact with police officers, according to the department's Facebook page.

"We feel that it is important for the youth of the community to feel comfortable enough to come into the police department if they need help from an officer," the post states. "The contest provides the opportunity for the children to have a positive experience with the officers and for them to realize that they are regular people, just like their families."

The contest is sponsored by local businesses. It challenges children attending the Frederic A. Priff Elementary School and Waretown Elementary School to collect a complete set of Ocean Township Police Department trading cards.

Posters of the complete set are on display in all of the participating businesses. When students and parents see the poster on display in a store window, they know they are in the right place and can go inside to pick up a card.

Police officers are also required to carry their own cards, if children have trouble locating all the cards. Think of the contest as a scavenger hunt.

Prizes will be awarded at random drawings at the Waretown Elementary School and the Fredric A. Priff School at the end of the school year. The deadline to find all 25 cards and submit an entry form is Sunday, June 4.

Students who have a full set of cards must bring it to the police department at 50 Railroad Avenue for verification. Then students will complete a entry form.

"The Ocean Township Police trading card program has been a home run for our department in terms of reaching the young people in our community in the past," the post states. "The officers were approached at the schools in our community, during public functions, and while on patrol."

Image: Courtesy of Ocean Township Police Department