A Massachusetts police department's effort to connect with students in local schools has ended following complaints from the public.
Northhampton police officials said the complaints questioned the effectiveness of the program and included worries that some students "might respond negatively to a group of uniformed officers at their school," according to The Daily Hampshire Gazette.
The complaints mentioned students of color, undocumented immigrants and others who may have had negative encounters with law enforcement in the past.
The program, which was launched in December and was dubbed "High-Five Friday," rotated a group of officers to one of the four district elementary schools every Friday to greet the children.
"We thought it was a great way to start building relationships with young kids," Northampton Police Chief Jody Kasper told the newspaper. "We liked that it was something that was seemingly -- seemingly -- simple, but has turned out not to be."
There were two meetings held to discuss community concerns surrounding the program. The first was at a Jan. 12 School Committee meeting and the second was held a few weeks later at a community meeting that drew 12 to 15 people.
At the first meeting, Kasper told the School Committee the department sought approval from the district superintendent and the four elementary school principals beforehand. At-large School Committee member Molly Burnham said that the program "came up very suddenly for a lot of us and that was a little upsetting."
Kasper said "High-Five Friday" was "paused" following the meeting and that after the follow-up community meeting, the program was effectively finished.
"It's a little bit frustrating for us to not be able to continue on with the program, quite honestly," she said.
