CONTACTS:
Andrea Kotuk / Andrea & Associates / (917) 603-6340
Frederick J. Watts/Police Athletic League/(212) 477-9450
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Brooklyn Teen Wins “Top Cop” Position in Police Athletic League's
Police Commissioner For A Day Essay Contest
Please see link below for Zoom call today from Police Commissioner Dermot Shea with the city-wide teen winner of the Police Athletic League’s Police Commissioner for A Day Essay Contest, Olivia Ruriani and Frederick J. Watts, PAL Executive Director.
Here’s the link to the video:
Other Participants included: Alexis Cicale, English Teacher, New Utrecht High School; Maureen Goldfarb, Principal, New Utrecht High School; JoAnn Ruriani, Winner’s Mom; Annmarie Ruriani, Winner’s Sister; Danielle Madden-Buck, Chief of Programs, PAL; Dana M. Wheeler, Director of Education and Program Development, PAL; Seth Pamperin, Education Program Manager, PAL.
Brooklyn Teen Wins “Top Cop” Position in Police Athletic League's
Police Commissioner For A Day Essay Contest
Brooklyn teen Olivia Ruriani, a student at New Utrecht High School, is named as winner of the Police Athletic League’s Police Commissioner For A Day essay contest. Olivia will be an 11th grade student in September and has the honor of being named NYPD Police Commissioner For A Day on August 17th, receiving a special Zoom call from Police Commissioner Dermot Shea. Due to the impact of COVID-19, Olivia’s meeting with Commissioner Shea will take place virtually.
“The Police Commissioner for a Day Essay contest is a quintessential part of the Police Athletic League, bringing cops and kids together in the spirit of camaraderie and mutual understanding,” said Police Commissioner Dermot Shea. “I commend Olivia and all of the essay winners for being chosen from such a strong group of submissions – affirming that our next generation of leaders are poised for greatness.”
Police Commissioner For A Day is a city-wide essay contest organized annually by the Police Athletic League. Contestants write essays about programs they would implement to improve the city, if they were the Police Commissioner. The question posed by the Police Commissioner for the 2020 contest is: Given the religious diversity of our city, how would you, as Police Commissioner for a Day, reduce the apparent rising number of bias crimes against religious communities? Winners of the essay contest are honored to be named Police Commissioner, First Deputy Commissioner, Chief of Department, Bureau Chiefs, Deputy Commissioners and Patrol Borough Commanders.
“We are so thrilled with the City’s young people in raising such thought-provoking ideas through their participation in our Police Commissioner For A Day essay contest,” says Frederick J. Watts, Executive Director of the Police Athletic League. “We congratulate all the winners for their outstanding efforts and their desire to share opinions on important matters that affect their City.”
In Olivia Ruriani’s winning essay she states, “We live in an extremely biased world whether we like it or not. So I would make it my duty to make sure the children of the City of New York are taught acceptance. I would do this by making the “Teach Acceptance Program” run weekly by the NYPD. It would teach kids from ages 5-10 about the importance of acceptance. This would reduce the amount of hate/bias crimes as time goes on. This is because all of the children in the teaching acceptance program will grow up being less biased than the generation before them, and they will teach their kids to do the same.”
New York City’s Police Athletic League is the first and finest civilian-run PAL in the country. Founded in 1914, PAL has served the city’s young people for over 100 years. PAL provides recreational, educational, cultural and social activities to 20,000 boys and girls annually. It is also the city’s largest, independent, nonprofit youth organization. For more information, please visit www.palnyc.org.
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