Police officers in Bellingham, Washington, bring their work
home--and it's not just police reports. These cops care for kids
whose parents are in jail.
Sergeant Tim Lintz of the Bellingham Police Department is
helping to develop a new foster-cop program. "We are determined
that it's going to work," Lintz says. This is the first program
of its kind anywhere in the United States.
The idea started last year, when a police officer spent several
frustrating hours trying to find a foster home for three kids
whose parents had been arrested. Finally, the officer gave up and
took the kids back to his house.
Across the country, there are more than 542,000 kids in foster
homes. Children enter the foster-care system when their parents
are unable to look after them. Many kids stay in foster homes
until they turn 18. There aren't enough foster families for all
of the kids who need homes.
This summer, five Bellingham officers took part in a training
program to become temporary foster parents. They are now able to
take care of kids until foster homes can be found. The cops will
begin welcoming kids into their homes next month.
Chris Lease is a school resource officer for the Bellingham
force. He visits schools and teaches kids how to resolve
conflicts. He and his wife, Tracy, have four children, including
an adopted son from the Philippines. They are excited to be a
part of the foster-cop program."I've always had a heart for
kids," Lease says. "This is another opportunity to show the love
that we have for them."
Karen Jorgenson, the head of the National Foster Parent
Association, applauds the Bellingham police department's efforts.
"If more groups would do the same," Jorgenson says, "we wouldn't
have a shortage of foster homes."
| --By Tiffany Sommers |
October 10, 2003 Vol. 9 No. 5 |
October 10, 2003 WORLD REPORT EDITION
