Amsterdam police officer entertains kids who have long waits at bus stops

AMSTERDAM, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Greater Amsterdam School District continues struggling with bus delays that they say are caused by staffing shortages. A police officer is using the inconvenience as an opportunity to bond with kids in the city.

Waiting for the bus in the morning has been a longer ordeal than usual for kids in Amsterdam this school year. It can be boring to stand around at the bus stop.

That is, until Officer Kyle Seelow gets there. 

He and the kids line up on one end of the mostly empty parking lot next to the Creative Connections Clubhouse on East Main Street, and compete to get to the other end.

“A lot of them seem like they’re scared when I first show up, and as soon as you ask them to run, that’s it. They’re all ready to race,” Seelow told NEWS10.

Just some pavement, a few willing participants, and someone to call the race are all Officer Seelow needs to yield those early morning smiles.

“To see their faces change, that’s the biggest part of it,” he said. “It’s probably best to have them running instead of getting into trouble, to be completely honest.”

Elisandro Auffant, an Amsterdam parent with a child in 4th grade, sees Officer Seelow going the extra mile as a way to restore community trust in the police department.

“Back in the day….a lot of them didn’t socialize like he does,” Auffant explained, “so I feel like that’s a good achievement for him.”