Cooking with cops in the Sault

Sault Ste. Marie -

Sault Police kicked off "National Police Week" with an event that mothers in attendance were glad to see.

One where they didn't have to cook on Mother's Day.

The "Cooking With a Cop" workshop saw community youth join officers in the kitchen for a meal of pasta with traditional Italian sauce.

It's among a number of events Sault Police Services have planned this week.

Chief of Police, Hugh Stevenson, says they aim to bridge the gap between officers and the community members they serve.

“It’s just nice to be part of the community and bring the community together to teach skills and have a little bit of fun on Mother’s Day. It’s a great kick-off to the rest of the week, we want to show that the Sault Police is this community and we want to be more a part of it as well,.” he said.

The event saw a mixt of teaching and playing, with officers and the chief getting to know families in attendance.

They played basketball, sat down for chats, and even showed the youth the inside of the police cruiser.

It was held at the Chapple Community Hub, a space run by the Sault District Social Services.

Elysha Cuglietta is the Housing and Homeless Supervisor for the organization, said the skills these kids learn are important, but equally important, is who was teaching.

“Kids love police officers, they love the cars, they love the lights. I think it’s great for them to come to see that they’re normal people too, and get a chance to sit down and interact, and play games with them, and cook with them and do things like that. It’s a great event”

Destiny Arbour brought her two daughters, 4-year-old  Ariel, and 2-year-old Isabella, to the "Cooking with a Cop" event.

She said the young ones loved the experience and were looking forward to it as soon as they were told about it.

“My daughter loves police and fire alarms and she was just really excited to come over today and help them make pasta,” said Arbour

Police are also holding a Newcomers meeting Monday.

People will be taught the role of policing in Canada, and how to report incidents.

Information on other Police Week events can be found on the Sault Police website.