TEACHING TYKES TO BE SAFE; CLASS GIVES KIDS FIRST GLIMPSE INTO WORLD OF LAW ENFORCEMENT.Byline: Stacy Brown Daily News Staff Writer Little Erin Prinsze knows how to dial 911 and has been taught all about the dangers of talking to Noun 1. talking to - a lengthy rebuke; "a good lecture was my father's idea of discipline"; "the teacher gave him a talking to" lecture, speech rebuke, reprehension, reprimand, reproof, reproval - an act or expression of criticism and censure; "he had to strangers. What the 3-year-old girl's mother would also like her to learn is what a police officer is supposed to look like. ``I want Erin to be able to distinguish a real uniform and the importance of recognizing the badge,'' said Heide Prinsze, one of many parents attending the safety lecture at the Terrific Tots class in Valencia Glen Park Glen Park can refer to:
Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. sheriff's Deputy Tom Drake
Tom Drake (August 5, 1918 - August 11, 1982), born Alfred Alderdice addressed more than 30 kids on safety issues during the class, which meets twice a week at the park's recreation center. ``I think the most important thing is for kids to see law enforcement in a positive light,'' Drake drake 1. male duck. 2. loliumtemulentum. said, echoing the goals of many of the parents in attendance. ``They have to get used to the fact that the policemen are the good guys and most importantly Adv. 1. most importantly - above and beyond all other consideration; "above all, you must be independent" above all, most especially that they are there to help,'' said Michelle Thun, whose 3-year-old son Garrett attends the class. Drake spoke to the children about the dangers of guns and of talking to strangers. ``If he grabs you, you lie on the ground and scream because if someone sees a kid being dragged, they usually know something is wrong,'' Drake told his pint-sized audience. And he explained why deputies carry pepper spray - ``mainly to subdue sub·due tr.v. sub·dued, sub·du·ing, sub·dues 1. To conquer and subjugate; vanquish. See Synonyms at defeat. 2. To quiet or bring under control by physical force or persuasion; make tractable. 3. animals'' - he told the wildly enthusiastic bunch of preschoolers. The class is held in two separate sessions, from 9 to 11 a.m. and 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Each session addresses different topics, coordinator Karry Pena said. ``Sometimes we have ambulance workers come in and talk about the inner workings of their job and then we'll have Magic Mountain (officials) bring animals in to discuss that,'' Pena said. On Wednesday, Drake gave the children a tour of his patrol car and explained how to use everything from the radio to the siren, which delighted the bunch of toddlers. ``They love that part,'' Drake said. Indeed, they did. Young Sara May of Valencia was one of the first kids in the car and also one of the last to leave. ``With all the stuff they see on the news, it is good for (the children) to see an officer smiling. Hopefully in two or three years they'll still remember that,'' Drake said. For their participation children were given Sheriff's Department coloring books and parents were issued a child identification package used to document all pertinent information on a child, such as hair samples, dental records Dental Records is a small, independent metal record label, based in Ipswich, UK. Artists
CAPTION(S): 3 Photos PHOTO (1--color) Sheriff's Deputy Tom Drake lets children talk over his patrol car's loudspeaker loudspeaker or speaker, device used to convert electrical energy into sound. It consists essentially of a thin flexible sheet called a diaphragm that is made to vibrate by an electric signal from an amplifier. system Wednesday morning at Valencia Glen Park. (2--color) Sara May, 3, covers her ears as the siren is activated on Deputy Tom Drake's car as part of the Terrific Tots program. (3) Sheriff's Deputy Tom Drake helps kids who have just been given a short tour of the lawman's patrol car in Valencia Glen Park. Shaun Dyer/Special to the Daily News |
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