Carson City Cops and Kids event a success

The 12th annual Cops and Kids event took place Saturday in front of the Carson City Sheriff’s Office as a way to bring police and the community together.

Many families from around the community joined the Sheriff’s Office and other community organizations to have a fun and safe street party. Kids were able to get an inside look at many of the departments, such as the K9 unit, the SWAT team vehicles, dispatch and the command center, and the SET team. They also received information and goodies from a number of community organizations including Kiwanis, the Marines, and CASA of Carson City.

“I like it because I want to be a cop when I am older,” Nate Stephens, 11, said. “I like to see all the trucks and cops cars because you get prizes and get to see the equipment.”

During the event, kids received a check sheet so if they visited the different booths, they could get signatures which they could turn in for prizes.

“I would say I liked (going to) all the booths because they were all fun and awesome,” Ethan Hunt, 10, said. “I got to meet new cops and see how they are solving crimes. It was a good day.”

Many of the officers enjoy getting out into the community and getting to interact with residents in ways they may not always get to.

“It is a good event because you get some kids who don’t get to interact with us,” Deputy Gary Denham said. “It is good that they can come out and meet us cause a lot of kids are scared of us and this shows them that we aren’t bad guys.”

This event is one of the few times the community gets a nearly all access pass to the Sheriff’s Office. In addition to meeting and talking with a variety of deputies, attendees were also exposed to a variety of community organizations aimed at providing families with resources.

“It was a huge success of street fair activities designed to foster relationships between the police, service and government organizations and our youth,” Sheriff Ken Furlong said. “To that end, every goal intended was met with success.”