Police department visits with preschoolers

Taking the PD’s new K-9 officer to a preschool this week reminded Police Chief Eric Lyons how excited he was about being a policeman at that age.

Lyons and other officers paid a visit to the Stepping Stones Learning Center on Monday to teach students about law enforcement and what they should do during emergencies.

Several officers went to Stepping Stones to interact with the kids who were around 3 to 5 years old, Lyons after they reached out to the department and asked for the officers to set up some activities with the children.

“We told them about being police officers and things they could do to help themselves and their parents, such as seatbelt safety, calling 911 and asking for help,” Lyons said. “We showed them our cars with the blue lights and sirens. Children are always fascinated by that.”

Lyons said he and his fellow officers talked about their uniforms, telling the children all about the aspects of the uniforms.

“We also brought our new K-9 Officer, Met, a Belgian Malinois,” Lyons said. “…The kids of course enjoyed him, and we are looking forward to doing more events like this in the future.”

Lyons said his favorite part of the trip was interacting with the children, teaching them safety and seeing their faces when the lights and sirens came on in the patrol cars.

“It all reminded me of when I was a kid and how excited I was at that age,” Lyons said. “It’s what made me want to get into law enforcement myself. Hopefully, it’s the same for these kids.”