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

Kids sit inside the S.W.A.T. truck, used to protect officers in an actual S.W.A.T. roll.	A popular feature for the children was the remote control car carrying Daren the Lion, national mascot of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, or D.A.R.E., which is taught by sheriff’s deputies in St. Bernard Parish schools.
Capt. Bret Bowen lifts a child through the hatch of the S.W.A.T. truck.	Sgt. Chris Scheeler of the Bomb Squad shows how heavy a bomb suit is.
Children at the camp pet a narcotics dog, Luke, brought by his handler Senior State Police Trooper Rene Bodet.	Pastor Henry Ballard Jr. and Sheriff James Pohlmann talk to kids at Christian Fellowship summer camp.

Children at Camp Conquer, which is the summer camp at Christian Fellowship Worship Center in Violet, got to enjoy the Sheriff’s Office robot, remote control car, airboat S.W.A.T. trucks and others on July 28.

But maybe more importantly, it was also a chance for them to meet with sheriff’s officers in a non-intimating atmosphere, fostering the opportunity to talk with police and ask questions.

For Sheriff James Pohlmann it was the chance to tell them that if they stayed in school and stayed away from crime, “If you dream you can be anything’’ and advised them to start thinking about what they wanted to do with their life.

The sheriff also told the group of about 60 kids that, “Everybody in this room is our future’’ and that at the Sheriff’s Office “success is not about how many people we arrest but how many people we help.’’

And Sheriff Pohlmann also said, “We want you to grow up in a safe environment and emphasized that “guns should never be used to settle disputes.”

“You have got to respect one another,’’ he said. “If you have a dispute you can settle it, but not with guns – no way, no how.’’

Pastor Henry Ballard Jr. of Christian Fellowship Worship Center holds the camp for nine weeks each summer, with activities geared to boys and girls ages 4-12. There are field trips and sessions with a doctor from LSU Medical Center, focusing on self esteem and ways to resist bullying.

Zinna Ballard, wife of Henry Ballard, is director of the summer camp.

Pastor Ballard said the day set aside for law enforcement to visit and show specialized equipment is 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.

“They see police in their neighborhoods and other places in the parish but for them to have the chance to ask questions is good,’’ the pastor said. “It introduces them to law enforcement in a positive way, giving them a chance to interact with law enforcement in a non-intimidating way.’’

Sheriff Pohlmann visited the camp with numerous sheriff’s deputies who demonstrated specialized equipment and answered questions.

The demonstration included some that have proven to be crowd favorities: the bomb robot used to check suspicious items along with showing the youngsters a bomb suit, an airboat, the department’s S.W.A.T. truck used in training and the mobile command center.

Also popular 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., which is taught by sheriff’s deputies in St. Bernard schools.

And for many children, the most popular thing at the camp was Luke, a drug and search dog brought by handler Senior Trooper Rene Bodet of State Police. The kids loved petting the canine, who seemed to like the attention.