School Resource Officer Jake Hartman gives traffic safety instructions to Safety Town participants Tuesday afternoon in a miniature city inside Willis Education Center in Delaware.
Glenn Battishill | The Gazette
Children at a stop sign wait for a “driver” without a stop sign to pass before continuing down the road in the miniature city of Delaware.
Glenn Battishill | The Gazette
On Tuesday, a driver in the city sharply cut a right-hand turn and plowed through a parking lot, narrowly missing the police station.
School Resource Officer Jake Hartman towered over the police department and pointed back at the road, gently shaking his head, as the child driver put their “car” back in their lane and continued to drive around the miniature city during the annual Safety Town event at Willis Education Center in Delaware.
During the weeklong event at Willis, incoming kindergarten and first grade students got a variety of safety lessons, including bike safety (taking place in part in the miniature Delaware); pedestrian safety; a lesson about germs and poison safety from the Delaware Public Health District; a lesson from 911 dispatchers about emergency calls; water safety lessons; and a trip to the City of Delaware Fire Department for a lesson about fire safety.
Hartman and fellow School Resource Officer Joseph Kolp, both of whom are serving as program instructors, said Tuesday they enjoy getting to engage with the children in a casual setting.
“I like interacting with this age group,” Hartman said. “Getting to see them outside of school and getting another chance to interact and build familiarity … It’s fun, and they get to learn a lot. They’re engaged for three hours. It’s good. All the different safety things they learn they can use and build on the older they get.”
Hartman said one of aims of the program is creating positive interactions with police.
“That’s one of the biggest goals,” he said. “Very early on you’re forming that relationship and positive interactions with police.
Kolp said he’s enjoyed helping with the program so far this week.
“I (like) getting to know the kids as the week goes on and seeing them grasp the different rules and expectations,” he said. “This is the first time many of them have been in a structured setting so to see them pick up those rules is pretty cool.”
The officers said they frequently see Safety Town participants at school or out in the community, and the students always remember and greet them because of it.
Hartman and Kolp said the police department appreciates the help of its various community partners for getting involved as well as Delaware City Schools for hosting the event at Willis.
Safety Town continues each day this week.
Glenn Battishill can be reached at 740-413-0903 or on Twitter @BattishillDG.
