The 163rd Anniversary of the Turkish National Police and April 23 Children’s Day Commemorated

Turkish police officers studying at the University of North Texas (UNT) and the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) organized a reception to commemorate the 163rd anniversary of the Turkish National Police and April 23, Children’s Day. The reception was held at Center for the Visual Arts in Denton, Texas.

In attendance were the mayor of Denton Dr. Perry McNeill, the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs of UNT Dr. Wendy K. Wilkins, faculty from UNT and UTD, members from the FBI Dallas Division, police chiefs and high ranking officers from neighboring police departments, representatives of the Denton Independent School District, school principals, teachers and parents of children who won the competitions organized by the Turkish Student Association (TSA) at UNT and TNP members. UNT President Dr. Gretchen M. Bataille could not attend the reception due to her visit out of state; however the message she sent for the night was welcomed.

On April 10, 1845, the TNP was established to assume law enforcement duties and responsibilities within city limits throughout the Ottoman Empire, the predecessor of Turkey. Before the TNP, military personnel carried out that duty. As for the children’s day, on April 23, 1920 the Turkish parliament has officially started functioning in Ankara, Turkey. Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey, declared that day as children’s day as a sign of his unbounded trust in the younger generations. TSA and TNP members jointly organized a drawing and poem competition among participating Denton elementary schools. The subject of the competition was “peace.” The awards to the winning students were presented during the night and the happiness of the children and their families was noteworthy. Their pictures and poems were displayed in the hall throughout the night. Turkish food prepared by the TNP members and their families and Turkish music helped make the night unforgettable.

The speeches delivered during the night also marked the friendship established over the years between the Turkish students and their American friends. A former UNT faculty member, Mayor McNeill brought attention to the importance of diversity. He also mentioned that he spent several years in Turkey. UNT Provost Dr. Wilkins talked about the contributions of Turkish Institute of Police Studies (TIPS) housed at UNT, and she reaffirmed her commitment to attend the upcoming Istanbul Conference on Democracy and Global Security, organized and hosted by the TNP. Additionally, a brief presentation about Turkey, the foundation of TNP and the international children’s day was made by TNP members. In closing, many guests expressed their enjoyment by requesting more of these kinds of activities from the organizers.