Claire Rolince of Fairfax Station wanted to do something in response to what she sees as a lot of negative stories about police, and violent backlash against them.
“The police need to know we support them,” Rolince said. An author of two books for children, she decided to write a third that would “help them understand police are here to help, serve and protect us.
“We want our children to grow up respecting police,” said Rolince.
“Patches Saves the Day,” is Rolince’s story of a mounted police officer and the animal for which the book is named. The self-published book takes place one day in a city park when Patches and the officer chase and catch a thief. The targeted age range for the book, she said, is from four to nine.
Illustrations were done by Fairfax Station artist Nancy Lindamood and include children petting Patches, and being happy that the police were there to protect them.
To research for the book, Rolince took a tour of the mounted division stable in Washington, D.C., learning about what their daily routine is like.
“They want to be approachable,” she said of the officers she met, “that was the word they kept using. How I wrote the book, they’re not scary people, they’re nice.”
Fifty percent of the proceeds will be donated to C.O.P.S., an organization that benefits the surviving families of law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty.
Rolince has scheduled a book signing on Dec. 17 from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Clifton General Store, located at 7140 Main St. in Clifton. For more information, visit clairerolince.com.