Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 4030 AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: NOVEMBER 2016 by Nora O’Connor T he small town of Millersport Ohio is hoping to send a mes- sage of support to law enforcement officers everywhere in the form of a mural. “I hope that this mural will help generate positive public awareness and build a con- nection between our com- munity and first responders,” said Millersport Police Chief Mark Consolo. He emphasized that the project has truly been a com- munity-wide effort. “A local business, Millers- port Hardware, donated the paint, brushes, and other project materials and a group of students focused their time and talent on transforming the side of the town’s police station into a powerful work of art,” Consolo said. Millersport High School art teacher Sarah Reed and about a dozen of her students put in nearly 100 volunteer hours after school working on the mural. “I’m really proud of them and all the hard work they’ve put into this,” the Chief add- ed. “They’re a great group of kids.” Mark Consolo first con- ceived of the project in 2014 while observing the mount- ing tension and violence between law enforcement and communities in other parts of the country. He based his design for the mural on the National Law Enforcement Officer’s Me- morial Fund logo, a red rose draped over a blue shield. His design also includes two banners with the phrases, “Protect, Honor, and Serve” and “Sacrifice, Remember, Pride.” “When I first asked the kids if they knew what these symbols meant, they A unique use of the side of a police station had no idea. But they wanted to learn about the symbols they were painting,andtheyasked a lot of questions,” he said. “That was always my goal, to inspire positive thought and dialogue.” The finished mural was unveiled on Sun- day, September 11th during a community prayer walk honoring fallen first respond- ers. Going forward, Consolo expressed his hope that the mural continues to prompt productive thinking and discussion for many years to come. Nora O’Connor is a re- porter and executive as- sistant at American Police Beat. A proud department, left to right: Officers Darryl Carey, Matt Clark and Lloyd Graham; Chief Mark Consolo; Officers Jeffrey Bingham, Donald Smith, and Timothy Gales. Chief Mark Consolo (center left) and Lt. Eric Sanford (center right) pose with the student artists who created the mural. Mural project big winner for community & cops Mural project big winner for community & cops