Successful Practices & Strategies Vol. 1 | No. 6

Hopkins Police Department

Hopkins, Minnesota

www.hopkinsmn.com/police

Community policing element

Community partnerships

Problem/issue

School-based policing

Problem description

Youth violence problem

Community policing strategies implemented

The Hopkins Police Department (HPD) helped create “Operation Recess,” an initiative unlike any in the 

nation, where officers play with youth at recess. 

HPD officers, in partnership with school staff, had implemented a SARA process of problem solving to 

analyze the issue. Through analysis, it became clear that most issues were stemming from incidents on 

the playground. HPD officers presented their “Operation Recess” idea first to the school counselors, who 

loved it. An initial meeting was set up to present the idea to school administrators, who stated, “This is 

awesome. Can you start today?” 

Police and school counselors then set out to develop the pilot project and created a model. This model 

involved patrol officers spending one day per week at each of the two elementary schools for three

hours during recess and playing games with youth on the playground. The patrol captain was 

responsible for posting overtime sheets in the roll call room, asking for officers to sign up for these 

shifts. A contingency plan for rain days was put into place where officers would then visit the classrooms 

to play bullying prevention games or do yoga under the direction of instructors with youth in the gym. 

Officers at recess were not to be in uniform but would instead wear specially made T-shirts with the 

Operation Recess logo. Hopkins police were not to be the rule enforcers on the playground; they were 

strictly there to play and model cooperative problem-solving behavior and bullying intervention 

techniques, if need be. If there is a problem that needs addressing, officers notify an adult supervisor on 

the playground, known as a paraprofessional, or Para. 

Once the model was created, a plan for implementation was developed. School staff created a kit for 

officers that included information regarding peaceful games, game rules, and key school 
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policies/procedures (e.g., where to check in, schedules for grade level recess periods, and school staff 

contact information). Officers could pass this kit to other officers as they participated each week. 

An initial training session with the first participating officers was conducted by the school principals.

Officers were introduced to key staff in the building and shown the behind-the-scenes operations at 

each school. Every week, participating officers were responsible for training the oncoming participants 

and sent e-mails describing how the day went and shared any key discoveries and success stories with 

all police staff.

Change and/or impact as a result of these community policing efforts

Analysis of raw quantitative data began when the pilot program concluded June 9, 2012. Initial review of 

this data has shown that almost every officer in the department has participated in touching the lives of 

more than 1200 elementary youth over the course of nine weeks. Officers have given 54 hours of service 

to the school in this pilot phase of the initiative. These are staff resources that the school would not 

have been able to supply otherwise. 

Written disciplinary reports have significantly decreased in this time period, averaging from 15 a week to 

only 5. Only one incident occurred on the days when officers were present. There have been no 

instances of families obtaining court-awarded restraining orders for their children due to bullying 

instances in school and the neighborhood; however, disagreements have continued in the 

neighborhoods before and after school, and the HPD is looking at ways to adapt the program to address 

this problem. 

Plans for a formal evaluation of Operation Recess are being made now that there is a solid school year of 

implementation. It is important to have this information as we move forward in securing additional 

funding to support the initiative.

Lessons learned through program implementation

When a police agency or any other community organization attempts to work with a school system, it 

can be a daunting and seemingly impossible task. To implement new programs is difficult because 

classroom time is guarded, and the policies and procedures are highly structured. 

However, it does not mean that new initiatives cannot be attempted; it means that a deeply rooted 

trust must be in place prior to posing ideas, and the partners within the school system must be involved 

in creating and implementing the initiative. Once initiatives are developed, to be successful, especially in 

a school setting, police and school administrators (chiefs and principals) must be fully supportive to the 

point that they are cheerleaders for the initiative and encourage excitement for participation.
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The opinions contained herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the 

U.S. Department of Justice. References to specific agencies, companies, products, or services should not be considered an 

endorsement by the author(s) or the U.S. Department of Justice. Rather, the references are illustrations to supplement 

discussion of the issues. 

The Internet references cited in this document were valid as of the date of publication. Given that URLs and websites are in 

constant flux, neither the author(s) nor the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services can vouch for their current validity. 

Published 2014