Children at Christian Fellowship camp enjoyed the Sheriff’s Office robot, remote control car and other items and a chance to meet and talk with officers in a non-intimidating atmosphere
 Sgt. Chris Scheeler of the Sheriff’s Office bomb squad, shows youngsters how heavy a bomb suit is |
 Dep. Shane Lulei with children aboard the Sheriff’s Office airboat. |
 Lt. Lisa Jackson, head of the D.A.R.E. program for the Sheriff’s Office, talks to youngsters about the dangers of distractd driving, including use of cell phones and texting. |
 Participants in the Christian Fellowship summer camp surround the Sheriff’s Office bomb robot, used to check out suspicious items, during a law enforcement day at the camp. |
Another popular item with children was the Sheriff’s Office remote control car carrying Daren the Lion, national mascot of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, or D.A.R.E., taught by deputies in parish schools.
But maybe more importantly, it was also a chance to them to meet with sheriff’s officers in a non-intimating atmosphere, fostering the opportunity to talk with police and ask questions.
Rev Henry Ballard of Christian Fellowship in Violet holds the camp for eight weeks each summer, with activities geared to boys and girls ages 5-12. There are field trips and sessions with a doctor from LSU Medical Center, focusing on self esteem and ways to resist bullying.
But Ballard said the day set aside for law enforcement to visit and show specialized equipment is also important to the kids.
“They get to hear what the Sheriff’s Office is trying to do to give them a safe community to grow up in,’’ Ballard said. Sheriff James Pohlmann visited the camp, along with numerous sheriff’s deputies who demonstrated specialized equipment and answered questions.
“They are inquisitive’’ about sheriff’s deputies, Ballard said. “They see police in their neighborhoods and other places in the parish but for them to have the chance to ask questions is good.’’
“This gives them a chance to interact with law enforcement in a non-intimidating way.’’
Sheriff Pohlmann said the department likes to meet in such ways with young people, also saying, “Its an opportunity to interact with the youth in our community,’’ which pays dividends in the long run.
The equipment demonstration includes some that have proven to be crowd favorities: the bomb robot used to check suspicious items, an airboat, a motorcycle used by the sheriff’s Traffic Division and the department’s SWAT truck used in SWAT Team training.
New and also popular this year was a remote control car carrying a miniature Daren the Lion, national mascot of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, or D.A.R.E., whioch is taught by sheriff’s deputies in St. Bernard schools.
Kids crowded around each of the pieces of equipment as they were demonstrated by deputies.
Also, officers from the D.A.R.E. program showed the new “distraction glasses,’’ which simulate the effects of being drunk or impaired in order to show youngsters the dangers of driving impaired by alcohol or drugs.
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