Pa. troopers, youths connect during Fishing With A Cop

GREENCASTLE, Pa. — Jabrel Lee, 10, smiled from ear to ear as he reeled in his first catch of the day, a seven-and-a-half-inch bass.

“I can’t believe I caught a bass,” Jabrel squealed with delight.

The Greencastle youth was one of 14 Franklin County youngsters who fished with county law enforcement officers in the county’s first Fishing With A Cop event on Saturday.

The Pennsylvania State Police, in conjunction with local law enforcement, hosted the catch-and-release fishing event.

Held at the Greencastle Sportsman’s Club, the event paired children with police who mentored them on fishing and fishing techniques.

Master Trooper Angel Garcia, Troop H, Community Services Officer, Pennsylvania State Police — Chambersburg said the daylong event was a way for children to get to know local law enforcement in a positive way.

“Youth nowadays are under so much stress … so we thought, 'Let’s get them away from that and let’s bring them to a place where they can relax and spend some quality time establishing some great memories that will last them a lifetime,'” Garcia said.

In the morning, the fishermen-to-be learned how to bait a hook, how to cast, how to release fish safely back into the water as well as many fishing tips from police.

The youth selected to participate in the event were from children and youth, juvenile probation and several boy and girl scout groups in the county, said Garcia.

Most of the officers wore their uniforms while they fished.

“We wanted the kids to see us as who we are. We’re police officers, but we’re also dads, moms, brothers and sisters. We’re just like them,” he said.

While the fish were biting for Jabrel, his brother Kabriel Lee, 13, wasn’t having much luck.

“This is so hard. I didn’t realize it was this hard. It didn’t look that hard on the video game,” Kabriel said.

Trooper David Dangel, Pennsylvania State Police, Chambersburg, stood at the ready to bait Kabriel’s hook or give him a few words of encouragement.

“This is a great event for the kids. It introduces them to fishing, and then, of course, us having community relations with the kids is great,” he said.

With a big-fish contest win at stake, Savion Stoner, 13, Chambersburg wasted no time in measuring his smallmouth bass — hoping it was a contender.

Greencastle Police Officer Jim Bradley carefully measured the fish at nine and a half inches before helping Savion release it back into the lake.

“This is great. You can’t get any better PR with kids than what we’re doing here,” Bradley said.

Bradley, an avid fisherman, loves everything about fishing.

“It’s relaxing, and every time you catch a fish, it’s a surprise, because you don’t know how big or how small it’s going to be,” he said.

Farther down stream, Dy’Myr Livingston, 10, Chambersburg, was on a lucky streak. He caught four fish in less than 30 minutes.

“This is fun. I like fishing,” he said.

“I think it’s great for them to see us, and see that we’re here to help and they don’t need to be scared of us,” said Trooper Curtis Weston, PSP Chambersburg.

Nick Costa, 11, of Chambersburg, was an old hand at fishing. He’s been fishing since he was 4 years old.

“It’s nice to have them (police) here for some company and to help with some stuff,” Nick said about Trooper Weston.

Garcia already has big plans for next year’s Fishing With A Cop.

“We plan to grow this into a huge event and get more police departments involved,” he said.

He also wants to open the event up to the public so even more kids can “come and hang out with us.”