Police Day Observance Offers Food, Fun

Above, Cpl. Josh Scully (l) of the Maryland-National Capital Park Police sits astride Declan. The two are stationed at Montgomery County’s Black Hill Regional Park. At right, NIH Master Firefighter Dave Myers hands out junior size fire hats to NIH preschoolers.

Above, l: Mark Stevens of NEI takes a ride in the Maryland State Troopers’ Seat Belt Convincer. The jolt received upon hitting the bumper at the bottom of the decline at only 10 to 15 miles per hour is enough to make seat belt doubters think twice. Above, r: Officer Ben Tiongson of the Maryland-National Capital Park Police deputizes members of the NIH preschool with badge stickers. Tiongson’s mother worked with the NIH day care center years ago. Left: Rick Brenner of the NIH Police praises Coco, a German shorthaired pointer, after the dog found hidden explosives in a demonstration exercise. Photos: Valerie Lambros

It’s not every day that an armored personnel carrier rolls up to the front of Bldg. 1, but that’s exactly what happened May 12 during the 16th annual Police Awareness Day at NIH. Fifteen of the area’s policing agencies responded to the call to participate and brought out the big guns to impress and educate the NIH community.

NIH’s own men and women in blue served a barbecue lunch, the Federal Protective Service of the Department of Homeland Security brought one of its 4 mobile operations units, the Montgomery County Police Department rappelled off the roof of Bldg. 31A, the Maryland-National Capital Park Police brought one of its stately police horses, K9 teams from several agencies sussed out hidden fireworks in explosives demonstrations and the Maryland State Troopers did their best to convince even the most reluctant of seat belt adopters that it’s worth buckling up.

Mark Stevens of NEI took the troopers’ Seat Belt Convincer for a ride and said though he always wears his seat belt, the 10- to 15-mile-per-hour impact “was stronger than I thought it would be. That’s quite an effective teaching tool.”
—Valerie Lambros