Portland Police Release Children's Book

The Portland Police Bureau released this statement this afternoon:
On Wednesday, May 5, 2010, at 3:30 p.m., Chief Rosanne Sizer and Portland Public Schools Superintendent Carole Smith will officially launch the Police Bureau's new children's book, "Portland Police Bureau: A Kid's Guide to What We Do". The book signing event will be at Woodmere Elementary School, located at 7900 S.E. Duke. Media and the public are invited to attend.
Officer Dave Thoman, a School Resource Officer, came up with the idea for the children's book after visiting classrooms and having nothing but an outdated generic book about police officers to read to children. The project, which has been in the works for about 18 months, began. Officer volunteered to have their photographs taken and Officer Thoman and his daughter, Molly Thoman Walker, a local elementary schoolteacher, wrote the text. Local schoolteachers and administrators evaulated the text and made revisions to ensure the book met its goal readership level (K-3).
The book will be used by Portland Police Officers when they visit classrooms or give tours. After reading the book, the officers will be able to give the books to kids to keep. "Police Officers regularly read to kids and I wanted to have something that was unique to Portland," says Officer Thoman. "For some kids, this will be the only book they can call their own."