HdG Officer Surprises Boy With Bike Repair, Reaction Is Priceless

HAVRE DE GRACE, MD — Christmas came early for one boy at Havre de Grace Elementary School. A fifth grader received a surprise at the end of school Wednesday that moved him to tears.

Officer Jarrid Coleman, who is the school resource officer at the elementary school on Juniata Street, noticed that D'Andrew had been riding a bike each day that raised some safety concerns. The tires were bald, the brakes were failing and the chain was busted.

During school hours, Coleman took the bicycle to Bel Air Bike Shop, where the tires were replaced, the brakes were repaired and other tune-ups made the bike like new again.

"You actually have brakes that work," Officer Coleman said to D'Andrew, upon unveiling the surprise in D'Andrew's classroom at the end of the school day on Wednesday. D'Andrew buried his face in the officer's shoulder and let out an audible cry upon seeing his souped-up ride. See the video at the end of the article.

The Bel Air Bike Shop is where the Havre de Grace Police Department gets its police bicycles serviced. Once the officer explained to store owner Carl Wakefield what he was planning for D'Andrew, the two came up with another idea to help Havre de Grace students.

"Carl and his staff did this at no charge, and even offered help to educate kids on bike maintenance," police said in a statement about the bike tune-up.

Now the school resource officer and bike shop owner are planning to hold a bike club to help the host of kids who ride their bikes to school learn how to properly maintain their bicycles.

Police said that having a school resource officer at each school has helped facilitate this type of positive interaction.

While the bike club would be the first of its kind in Havre de Grace, it is not the first program started by a school resource officer. There is a monthly safety club for any student who wants to attend; a weekly McGruff Club at Meadowvale Elementary; a three-week safety camp each summer where middle and high school volunteers help younger campers; and a program through which school resource officers mentor high school students considering criminal justice careers. The Havre de Grace Police Department also plans to host a class for parents and students regarding online activity.

The bike club would likely start in January or February. And the work that has already been done has made the holiday season a smoother ride for one Havre de Grace boy.

Photo courtesy of Havre de Grace Police Department.