Dumbarton's Thin Blue Line Program Takes Off

BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD — A new club that began in fall 2018 at Dumbarton Middle School has grown in leaps and bounds. Called the Thin Blue Line Lunch Bunch, the club was the brainchild of School Resource Officer Juanika Ballard.

Kids bring their own lunches to the gathering, where the idea, explained Ballard, was that "they can ask questions about law enforcement" in an informal setting.

Initially, a few kids came and talked with police about their jobs, but as interest grew, so did the offerings. Officers began to travel from different units to Dumbarton Middle School to give presentations about their roles to the kids, such as the crash team and the K-9 unit.

The club numbered a few early on, and "I thought it was going to stay pretty small," Ballard said. When it began in October, there were three students participating. She brought snacks for the bunch.

"Next thing you know, the kids were like, 'When are we going to have the group again? When are we meeting again?' And it just kind of took off," she recalled. She said children look forward to the gatherings.

"The last one we had in May, we had 95 kids sign up to be part of it," Ballard said. "It's been amazing how it's taken off."

The club meets the first Friday of each month during all three lunch periods and is open to all students.

Ballard provides snacks and receives some funding from the Fraternal Order of Police and the Towson Police Community Relations Council.

First responders joined students on Friday, June 7, for the year-end celebration of the Thin Blue Line Lunch Bunch.