20
CORRECTIONS REPORT
NEW JERSEY COPS ■ AUGUST 2014
Communicating to children about our profession
Henry J.
Ruiz
When was the last time you talked to your child
about what you do every day? If you’re like most of
us, the answer, quite possibly, is never. When we
asked our peers this question the common
answer was, “Why would I want to scare them?
What would I say?” ACO Executive Director Brian
Dawe, a 32-year veteran in Corrections shared
with me the story of his daughter coming home
from school one day and telling him that her
teacher asked everyone in class what their fathers
did for work. His daughter could only say, “He goes
to prison.”
When we have an image problem with our own children, we
really have an image problem.
But we certainly don’t want to scare our kids. The average Correctional Officers won't say anything to their kids – ever. They hold
it inside, preferring to let them learn like everyone else – from
sources that know little, if anything, about what we do. Even if we
had wanted to tell them, how would we address their concerns
and their fears?
So, the American Correctional Officer decided to research this
topic, and ACO President Vito Dagnello found Gary Aumiller, a
Ph.D. with the Society of Police Psychologists. Not only was Gary
willing to help, but he had even authored four books already,
including the “Hero” series book: My Dad’s A Hero, My Dad’s A Cop.
Dr. AuilIer thought that if an occupation like a police officer was
worthy of a “Hero” series book to help teach children about police
work, a profession that is very much understood, then a book on
Correctional Officers was an absolute necessity. With that in mind
we launched two books, My Dad’s A Hero, My Dad’s A Correction-
al Officer, and My Mom’s A Hero, My Mom’s A Correctional Officer.
At the back of the book is a page-by-page synopsis with questions
and answers to encourage discussion and help us, as officers and
parents, deal with those fearful questions that our children have
about our safety.
This kind of interactive communication is a great way to bring
our children closer and give them a better understanding of what
we do, and curb their fears and anxieties at the same time. Their
friends, the television, the internet and the media in general will
continue to bring before them most of the bad and little of the
good. This way we can address the worries of our children, and
also give them the tools to change the image that others have at
the same time.
For more information on the books visit www.COIntel.net. d
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