The Selma Times-Journal

The Cops and Kids program attracted more than 500 children to Bloch Park Saturday morning where members from all branches of law enforcement were represented.

“Today is all about the kids,” said Officer Dorothy Cowan of the Selma Police Department. “We are here to interact with them and let them get to know law enforcement in a different setting. We want to create a bond of trust and understanding.”

Cowan said the children get a chance to see what officers do and that they are interested in them and their future.

“We want to teach them not to be afraid of authority figures,” Cowan said. “Our motto is filling playgrounds, not prisons.”

Activities included basketball, cakewalks and games.

The Selma Fire Department brought several fire engines and were teaching kids about what to do in a fire.

“I learned to stop, drop and roll and run to my neighbor’s house to use the phone and call 911,” said

nine-year-old Martin Paul Alexander, who was amazed by the fire ladder on

Ladder Engine 3. ” I thought the ladder was operated manually, but it’s actually electricity.”

Dexstavia Watkins, 10, said, “When I grow up, I’m gonna be in the police. You get to ride motorcycles. You get to blow the horn. You get to climb ladders and you get to stop crime.”