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WILKES-BARRE — Every hero has a story.
A dozen children sat wide-eyed Tuesday as Wilkes-Barre Patrolman Kirk Merchel told his.
The 21-year veteran of the city’s police force was a speaker at the Osterhout Free Library’s “Meet Your Police Officer” event, part of the library’s summer reading theme dedicated to heroes.
Youth Services Librarian Kristin Lynch planned the event to provide children a chance to interact face-to-face with a local officer, putting them in the same room with a policeman at an age when they’re most impressionable, she said.
“Our local superheroes are of course the police department,” said Lynch, a librarian at the Osterhout since 2008. “We want to honor them for all the hard work that they do and give children a positive relationship with them starting from an early age.”
While Merchel was quick to deflect his superhero status, some children couldn’t help but connect the dots between the officer’s duty belt, patrol car and array of gadgets to those belonging to a well-known caped crime fighter.
“Batman has a Batmobile,” pointed out Kayleigh Davenport, 4, matter-of-factly.
With a smirk, Merchel bit.
“I wish I had the Batmobile,” he said.
Throughout the free, hour-long event, Merchel chimed in and answered questions as Lynch read two children’s books, “Keeping You Safe” and “What Does a Police Officer Do?”
During one reading, Kayleigh Davenport’s brother, Kenny, 7, was asked what he thought Merchel’s job was.
“Make sure the city or town is safe from bad guys,” said Kenny Davenport, boasting a make-shift cardboard policeman’s cap.
The sportive back and forth between Merchel and about 20 parents and children in attendance was what Lynch envisioned during the early planning phases of the event.
This summer, libraries across the U.S. adopted the superhero theme to capture kids’ imaginations and encourage them to read, even while school is out.
But most importantly, Lynch wanted to change the perception of those kids who might be fearful of approaching a cop.
“They’re not someone to be afraid of,” she said. “They’re here to help them.”
After the readings, a sorting activity allowed kids to decide whether the situation on a card was one that required the help of an officer.
Kids were pleased to learn “making you do your homework” and “making you eat your vegetables” were not among the officers’ powers.
Instead, the activity taught children to seek out officers during an emergency or if they become lost.
They were also encouraged to just stop and say “hi.”
“We’re not mean guys in scary uniforms,” Merchel said. “We’re here to help.”
