By Luke Bogues
Peninsula Daily News

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PORT TOWNSEND - The grand finale of a program design to bring teenagers and police officers together will occur today at 7:30 p.m. at Port Townsend High School. The medium that they find common ground in: poetry.

Connecting Chord, as organizer Christine Hemp has dubbed the program, has been taking place all week. At the beginning of the week, the officers and the teenagers get off to a shaky, apprehensive start, Hemp said. But throughout the week they get closer and understand each other better. Collaborating with one another, they write.

Now, it's performance time and the whole community is invited. Six teenagers, three police officers and a probation officer will take to the high school auditorium stage to recite their works. A special guest or two may join in, Hemp said. 

This is the second time Port Townsend, Hemp's hometown, has hosted the unifying program. Last time it was presented was Oct. 2001. She's also brought public officials and young people together in Philadelphia and overseas in London's Brixton borough, known for its violent crime.

"I always think it's a stretch for people and it's always satisfying" she said Thursday. "No matter where they come from - if they're an officer or a teen."

Hemp is particularly proud of the current group. It includes a returning officer and a returning teenager.

Sara McDonough was on court-ordered probation last time she came through the program. Now she's free of the court system and wants to become a cop, Hemp said. She's pretty proud of the police, too. It's not just young people trying to connect to those around them.

"Officers also feel misunderstood," she said. "(They) really engaged in the writing this year in a way they hadn't before. "The point is to bridge the gaps between the teens and the officers, helping them both find a voice."