Kids, Community and Cops: Little Free Library

By Sergeant Brian Cleveland

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office is hosting the county’s newest Little Free Library. The Sheriff’s Office has installed a Little Free Library box and a bench just outside its headquarters building in Live Oak and registered it on the World Map. The Sheriff’s Office obtained the library and books at no cost through an application to the Little Free Library’s Kids, Community & Cops program.

The program is designed to help law enforcement create positive interactions with youth. Hosting a Free Library at the Sheriff’s Office supports literacy, forges new partnerships with the nearby schools and opens the door for additional opportunities to work with the community.

Sheriff Jim Hart is excited about the program: “This Free Library is a great addition to our neighborhood and this fits right in with our Community Policing model.”

Sheriff’s Volunteer Kevin Hildreth, a professional librarian, is the Little Free Library Steward and will maintain the Library for public use.

The Sheriff’s Office hosted an opening ceremony, which included Ms. Gilbert’s third grade class from nearby Green Acres Elementary School and Kermit the Book Bike, Santa Cruz Public Library’s portable child-friendly mobile library. Book-loving members of the public are invited to join us to help celebrate the new Little Free Library.

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Thursday, March 1, 9:30 am at Sheriff’s Office, 5200 Soquel Avenue Santa Cruz