North Bay Police are hoping a new mascot helps create another level of comfortable connection between them and the community.
Last week the service went to multiple elementary schools in the city to drop off "Name our Mascot" forms for youngsters to fill out which included a Moose's mascot cartoon that youngsters were encouraged to colour.
"The North Bay Police Service needs your help to name our new mascot," the North Bay Police stated on social media to introduce the contest. "We are excited to involve our local elementary schools in the search."
Constable Steve Sproule, a member of the North Bay Police Service's community engagement team, expected the newly named mascot to get involved in many community events coming up, even in early March.
"We wanted to get the mascot ready for a bunch of events that are coming up, the first one being the Polar Plunge," explained Sproule during the February North Bay Police Board meeting last Tuesday.
Deputy Chief Mike Daze believes the mascot initiative is a great idea.
"Cst. Russ Moyer and Cst. Steve Sproule has been working hard on what community engagement looks like and involving education and working with local stakeholders," said Daze. "It is about relaying positive messaging about policing and safety, but also working to build the public trust and confidence which is really important."
Sproule says the entries will be picked up at the various elementary schools on Friday, March 1 and not long after that, will they announce the new mascot's name.
We will pick them up on March 1 and then figure out the name of this moose mascot.
"Then we will start presenting this mascot at various events and even ski down the ski hill with the mascot," said Sproule.
"We want to do anything we can to engage the community, and moose will need to skate too."
