Students' lunch with local law enforcement officers is a hit

Mrs. Dodd's kindergarten class enjoy eating lunch with Calmar Police Chief Joe Ward and Decorah Police Dispatcher Judi Krauskopf

Local law enforcement officers enjoyed lunch with the students at John Cline and Carrie Lee Schools on Monday.  Representatives from the Calmar and Decorah Police Departments, Winneshiek County Sheriff's Office, Iowa State Patrol and Iowa DOT Motor Vehicle Enforcement were on hand to interact with the students and share a meal.

When children lined up for lunch at John Cline, Decorah Police Officer Scott Herrmann told them they could pick out a guest to eat lunch with. Kindergarten through second grade students bravely went up to uniformed officers and asked them to come eat with them.  After filing through the lunch line, the students and police officers sat at the lunch tables in the gym.

Officer Herrmann said, "We eat lunch, the students eat lunch, we thought it would be fun to eat lunch together. The kids love it. Many of the officers have kids and grandkids at the schools."  Iowa DOT Motor Vehicle Enforcement officer Chris Wickland saw his daughter, Addison, at Carrie Lee and his son, Anders, at John Cline.

Carrie Lee 4th grader Caitlyn Sears said, "It's really cool because I get to meet officers I've never met before."

Decorah Police Department Investigator Sara Hendrickson had good things to say about the event as well. "I think it's a very good, positive experience for the kids," she said.

4th grader Natalie Goodner said, "It's really interesting and cool to meet the police officers."

Winneshiek County Jail Administrator Jeanne Sebastian summed the event up well, saying "having lunch together is a great way to merge youth with local law enforcement and create a positive experience together."

Decorah Police officer Scott Herrmann takes a selfie with 1st grader Haidyn Farley

Iowa DOT Motor Vehicle Enforcement officer Chris Wickland eats lunch with his son, Anders at John Cline

Chief Deputy Sheriff Greg Torgrim and a group of 4th graders await their turn to get lunch

Decorah Police Officer Byron Hook pictured with 4th grader Caleb Krieg and sister Bretta Krieg