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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels June 23, 2004 Police stop kids for good By Bill Choy Ashland Daily Tidings Jan Janssen believes positive reinforcement goes a long way in encouraging children and teens to do the right thing. Youth diversion officer Jan Janssen gives Sequoia Ahimsa, 13, a token for a free treat from the Ashland Fudge Company as a reward for wearing her helmet Tuesday at the Ashland skate park. Bill Choy | Ashland Daily Tidings To put this belief to practice, the youth diversion officer for the Ashland Police Department plans to go around town giving free tokens for an ice cream or soda to kids and teens who she sees are doing the right thing. This could include wearing a helmet while skateboarding, walking their bikes in downtown, or helping an younger child cross the street. "I think it's a way to try to stress to kids and teens here that we care about them and want them to be OK," she said. "Sometimes, teens think that police only want to catch people. This is a way to show that kindness makes a difference to a person." Janssen began handing out the tokens on Tuesday, going around downtown and the skate park on Water Street. She plans to go out for several hours at least a few times a week throughout the summer. The Ashland Fudge Company donated a portion of the tokens, with community donations given to the police department paying for the rest. There was a similar program done by the school resource officer at Ashland High School, but it was discontinued about five years ago, Janssen said. "I'm not trying to bribe them by giving them ice cream," she said. "For me, it's a way to get out of the office, get to know the kids better - and thank them for thinking about other people and themselves." At the skate park, Janssen smiled with approval as several kids practiced their skateboarding moves while wearing a helmet. Approaching 13-year-old Sequoia Ahimsa of Ashland, she told her about what she was doing and gave her a token for wearing her helmet. "I think that's just really cool," Sequoia said. "It gives people who don't wear their helmets a reason to wear a helmet. Some of them don't want to wear a helmet because they don't think it's cool. But it's always good to get ice cream." Sy Murdock was all smiles as he received his token from Janssen. The 13-year-old Jacksonville boy was pleased to be rewarded for wearing a helmet - something he knows has saved his life before. In January, Sy fell and hit his head while skateboarding. He was wearing a helmet at the time. He suffered a concussion, had severe headache and had to stay home from school for a week. While quite unpleasant, it sure beats what probably would have happened if he wasn't wearing a helmet, Sy said. "I would have been retarded, severely brain damaged or worse," he said. "I know exactly why I need to wear a helmet." Sy was impressed with what Janssen is doing. "I think it's pretty nice to have someone care about us being safe," he said. "Hopefully, this will help encourage those who don't wear their helmets, because someone can get hurt, and I can tell you, it's no fun." DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams