By Gretchen Webster

WESTPORT — The youth community and law enforcement got a bit closer Tuesday night with the revival of the annual Dodge-A-Cop dodgeball tournament. 

The tournament teams high school students and police officers to play a game for charity.

“In a lot of towns the relationship between students and police officers is not strong,” said Alex Laskin, a Staples High School junior and the president of the Westport Youth Commission. “This fosters a connection between students and adults.”

“It absolutely helps make connections,” agreed Police Officer Ed Woodridge, the school resource officer at Staples and was a dodge ball player on Tuesday. “This definitely gives youth a different insight into what we do. They see that we’re human, just like everyone else.”

The tournament, held at Staples High School, drafts a police officer onto every team of students. The teams play for prizes, usually restaurant gift certificates, where students and police officers can meet later to continue to get to know each other, according to Ashley Del Vecchio, the Police Department’s youth detective.

The tourney is also a fundraiser, with the $10 entry fee for students gong to the Toys for Tots charity.

On Tuesday, about 60 students gathered to hear the tournament rules, than spread out in the gym to lob dodge balls at each other in the elimination tournament. 

In addition to Westport cops, law-enforcement personnel from other towns turned out, including officers from Ridgefield and Milford, as well as retired state trooper Tom Bassett, who is now Staples security officer, and Representative Town Meeting member Andrew Colabella, both acting as referees.

For the kids, it was just a really good time. “It’s for a good cause, and it’s super fun,” said Staples senior Aiden Best.

The tournament is organized by the Teen Awareness Group (TAG) at Staples, part of Westport’s Youth Services Program under the Department of Human Services umbrella.