Baltimore Police Officer Jared Stern hasn?t been on the job that long ? but he knows the community he patrols.

“The other night there were about 18 to 20 kids out in the street playing football,” Stern said as he walks the blocks near Patterson Park on a cold March afternoon. “We kept the traffic out of the street so they could keep playing. We want to show them officers are people they can talk to, people they can get to know.”