Fairfax County Public Schools released a video on January 2, 2018 entitled “Moving from Fear to Hope”. It highlights the difference the Project Hope program has made at Hutchison Elementary School in Fairfax County Virginia. Code 3 partnered with the Fairfax County Police Department and provided grant funding to make the Project Hope program possible. In the video, the school coordinator explains that when she initially told students about an upcoming police officer visit, they responded by saying “I’m afraid” or “they’re bad”. By increasing positive police and student experiences, Code 3 believes that negative police perception can be shifted. After interacting with police in the Project Hope after school program the students have a very different reaction to police officers today. Jonathan, a Project Hope participant featured on the video, stated “I used to think police officers were mean or sometimes angry about someone but now I know that they are really nice and care about people”. Whether they are playing games, doing art projects, or having holiday dinner with students and their families, police officers are committed to building relationships with the community and building community trust.
