THOUSAND OAKS : Deputies Bring Traffic Safety Course to Kids

Adam Codeus, 9, sat on the Sheriff’s Department motorcycle Tuesday morning, picturing life as a patrol officer.

“It’s neat. You can imagine that you’re on it out on the road,” said Adam, after Sheriff’s Deputy Dan Ambrian pulled him down and replaced him with the next Ladera School student.

“I really haven’t seen them up close before,” said second-grader Clint Erieg, 7, as he crowded around the cycle with his schoolmates, examining its controls, scanner, siren and lights.

Three motorcycles and the deputies who ride them were on the Ladera campus in Thousand Oaks to kick off a new public education program sponsored by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department.

The Safe and Fun Education, or SAFE, program will visit every school in the Conejo Valley Unified School District this year, stressing pedestrian, bicycle and roller blade safety.

“If we can start at this age, when they’re younger, hopefully when they’re older they can approach us without being afraid,” Deputy Bill Therrien said.

Kindergartners sat attentively, shouting out the answers as deputies questioned them about safety.

“What do you do when you get to an intersection?” asked Ambrian.

“Stop, look and listen!” came the collective answer.

Older students were a little more antsy, squirming as they waited through the question-and-answer session to get up close to the motorcycles. Ambrian said he tries to persuade the older students to set good safety examples for the younger children.

“It’s important at any age,” Ambrian said. “Everyone has a soft spot for kids. And the last thing we want to see when we get to the scene of an accident is a child that’s hurt, or worse.”