Cops N Kids held at Claiborne West Park

The annual Cops N Kids event was held Friday, June 10, at Claiborne West Park in Orange County. This was the twentieth-sixth time for the gathering which gives youngsters an opportunity to meet together with first responders to help build a bond of friendship.

Cops and Kids included between 45 to 50 law enforcement agencies, local companies that respond to emergencies, and other vendors that work with the police setup booths with souvenirs to give to the visitors to promote safety and friendship between their agencies and the public. The annual event is sponsored by the Orange County Sheriff's Office.

Sheriff Lane Mooney was pleased with the cooperation from the various agencies that had personnel attend Cops N Kids. "This gives the kids the chance to see us as human beings. I'm not wearing a gun today, we can meet them on a personal level, get out shake some hands, give them a hug, and they get to look at all our cool stuff," Mooney explained.

There were patrol cars, ambulances, fire trucks, armored personnel carriers, and boats for the visitors to the event to see and in some cases actually sit inside. A horse drawn carriage and an ATV pulled a train of small cars for the kids to ride around the grounds at Claiborne West Park.

Admission was free to everyone. Free hot dogs, chips, popcorn, cotton candy, snacks, and soda pops were provided for everyone attending.

The weather was sunny and hot. Estimates were about two thousand people came to Cops N Kids on Friday.