YORK, Pa. — A York City police officer is hoping to inspire the youth as violence in the city increases.
Sydney Bennett grew up in the Baltimore area until she was about 13 years old. She says her mom felt like the city was getting too crowded.
“Gangs and all types of violence in the area," said Bennett, who has been a police officer for York since 2021.
In the last couple of years, York has seen an increase in violence, especially among youth.
Knowing what it’s like to grow up in a rough area, and now being a police officer herself, Bennet wants to help other kids in the community.
“It’s always been something that I wanted to do. I love this kind of work, I love helping people," said Bennett.
Bennet has been working to engage with the youth and the community.
“Just them seeing police officers and being able to interact with us in a very positive way is what we need to do more of. [It] shouldn’t always be engaging when they’re doing something wrong, but rather [trying] to engage with them when they’re doing stuff right," said Bennett.
She wants the youth in the community to know that anything they want to achieve, they can.
“They can see how passionate we are about the jobs we’re in, and be very inspired to try to find what they’re passionate about," said Bennett.