There was a new police chief in London on Monday, and she's an 11-year-old, Grade 6 student from Louise Arbour French Immersion public school.
Chinmayi Manda was selected to be the London police Student Chief of the Day. She donned an official police uniform, sat behind Chief John Pare's desk, attended meetings, and patrolled the streets of London in a fully equipped police SUV.
"The police do more than you can imagine. You probably think they all just cruise around in their cars, putting on their lights and sirens to get people out of their way but they do so much more,' said Manda. "They've got codes, they've got protocols. They are keeping our community as safe as possible."
London police began taking nominations for the initiative in March. It was open to students in Grade 6 to Grade 8 who are enrolled at any city school. Manda, who was nominated by a friend, was chosen for the position because of her work to raise money for cancer research and her effort to end bullying at her former school.
In addition to visiting the Children's Safety Village and the Ontario Police College in Aylmer, Manda had an opportunity to pick Pare's brain about the force's top job.
"He was very fun. He taught me many things," said Manda."I asked him what it is like to be a chief, does he cope with the pressure, if all the responsibility he has at work came home with him everyday, and did he crack under the pressure and stress."
Manda was escorted to each of her engagements throughout the day by Constable Tanya Leclerc.
"Chinmayi is such an amazing young woman, a great partner for the day. She made me laugh a lot, she asked very appropriate questions, and she was excited and eager to learn about policing. So it was a really good adventure that we had," said Leclerc, who has participated in the program for two years.
She stressed the day is about reaching out and connecting with the young people in the community.
"It gives students an opportunity to learn what we do inside and out. Learn the different areas of the department, learn the different things police do over the course of a day," said Leclerc. "Now that Chinmayi has all this extra knowledge of what police are all about she can go and share that knowledge and share the information she learned with her classmates, friends, and family."
Manda's last act as chief was to hand out cupcakes to each of her classmates, who cheered loudly when she walked through the doors of the school at the end of the day.
The experience has left Manda not only eyeing a career in policing but with aspirations to become police chief on a more permanent basis.
"When I grow up I want to help Canada and the community I live in and being chief is one of the ways I can do that," she said with a smile.