Officer surprises students at Milwaukee's Northwest Catholic School, see why

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- A Milwaukee police officer surprised students at Milwaukee's Northwest Catholic School on Thursday, December 18th.

The Milwaukee Police Department says officers assigned to the Office of Community Outreach and Education will read to students at several Milwaukee public, private and charter schools Thursday, December 18th and Friday, December 19th. The visits are all part of MPD's partnership with SHARP Literacy.

"We`re always excited to have visitors, and, especially, police officers. We want kids to feel comfortable, and get to know the police community in Milwaukee, and it`s a great way to open the doors," Lynn Walker from Northwest Catholic School said.

Officer James Black, a 22-year veteran of the Milwaukee Police Department,  says the goal of his visit was to enhance the educational experience, answer a few questions and share a story.

"I`m here to do a reading of `How The Grinch Stole Christmas,` one of my favorite books," Black said.

"A lot of times, the policeman will talk about, if they have grown children, they`ll talk about how they read to their kids when they were little. So they`re setting an example for these kids to take home and share with their parents, that, you know, you should not only read in school, but you should read at home as well," Walker said.

Northwest Catholic School joined the SHARP Literacy program last year, and has already had two visits from officers. Educators there say, based on students' responses, they hope there are many more to come.