Laclede County deputies just pulled someone over on Tower Road.
The Laclede County Sheriff’s Office spent the day with our Paving the Way students, demonstrating how to interact with law enforcement and what a positive traffic stop can look like.
Thank you, Sheriff Matt Frederick and Deputy Sweno, for showing up for these kids.
In the Ozarks, this is what community looks like.
Sometimes trust starts with an Oreo.
This is Sheriff Frederick.
No traffic stop. No emergency. No handcuffs.
Just a room full of teenagers laughing hysterically while he tries to balance a cookie on his face.
For a lot of young people, encounters with law enforcement haven’t been easy.
Some remember officers arriving on the hardest day of their lives. The day a parent was arrested. The day they were removed from home. Those moments exist for a reason, but children don’t always understand the reason. They remember the fear.
So at Paving the Way, we create different moments. Not behind a podium. Around a table. Playing games. Sharing meals. Laughing over something completely ridiculous.
Because before someone is an officer, a deputy, or a sheriff, they’re a person.
Sometimes that’s all a young person needs the chance to see. One silly moment at a time.
In the Ozarks, this is what community looks like.
Partners
This community is built by the people and businesses who show up, not because they have to, but because they belong to something. These are the neighbors who make everything possible.
Meet our neighbors →
