Delco Man Works To Build Trust Between Kids And Police

LANSDOWNE, PA (CBS) – Breakfast with a great nephew and some boys from his choir turned into the "teachable moment" of a lifetime for Rodney Bradley of Lansdowne.

Last week he spent the morning with his nephew Michael as well as brothers Jadon, Jermaine and Jordan from his Dr. Rodney Bradley and Friends Choir.

The topic turned to the Black Lives Matter movement and Bradley says the boys had some extreme views.

"The one thing that bothered me was when one of the guys said they were happy when the officers in Dallas got shot. And so that's a major red flag," says Bradley.

After leaving the restaurant he spotted a Darby Township Police vehicle and convinced the boys to meet the officer.

"He said do you mind taking a picture with me and the kids? He explained to me that the kids had a mindset that police were all bad," says Deputy Chief Brian Patterson who was more than happy to talk with the boys.

They spend about 20 minutes together talking about the role of police officers and what they do on a daily basis.

He told them that there's a very small percentage of police that have done some bad things but on the whole we are good people and we're here to help you.

"By the end they were smiling, shaking hands, giving me high fives. It was a very, very cool experience," says Patterson.

"It was really good because I watched them transform right before my very eyes, and that was remarkable to me," says Bradley, "unless we use those teachable moments and have these courageous conversations with them, they would never know."