The Christiansburg Police Department unveiled a new cruiser Wednesday morning wrapped in decals related to child abuse prevention. April is Child Abuse Prevention Month.
When it is commissioned and fully equipped, the cruiser will be a daytime patrol vehicle, thus providing a highly visible message about child abuse prevention throughout Christiansburg.
The decals on the cruiser include two handprint on the hood with the words “Stop Child Abuse”; blue ribbons on the fenders that declare “Prevent Child Abuse”; large pinwheels, a symbol for prevenint child abuse, on the quarter panels; and the words “Stop Child Abuse” in the image of a hand on the back window with text reading “#StopChildAbuse ‘To Report Child Abuse’ State Hotling 1-800-552-7096.
Police Chief Mark Sisson said Wednesday morning that his department has in the past and will continue in the future to be aggressive in its efforts to prevent child abuse in Christiansburg.
“We thought this was a great way to get the message out and to let the community know that child abuse is not just a police matter,” Sisson said.
“Children are the most vulnerable members of our community,” the chief said,” and it’s our duty as police officers to do all we can to protect them and help keep them safe. The new cruiser provides information about the child abuse hotline and how to report child abuse if you khow of it.”
As the cruiser patrols the streets of Christiansburg some 12 hours a day, it will be highly visible and get the message about child abuse prevention out beyond the walls of the police station and into neighborhoods.
Chief Sisson had words of praise for the involvement of Lt. Randy Bonds and Sgt. Darren Epperly in the project. Epperly is the department’s fleet manager and, the chief said, is the one “responsible for getting the car done.”
Bonds is highly involved in child abuse prevention efforts. He serves on the CASA Advisory Committee and is on the board of the directors of the Children’s Trust, which was formed out of a joint commitment from the Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) in Roanoke and Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) to better serve children and families in the Roanoke Valley.
Among a number of other counties and cities, the service area for the Children’s Advocacy Center includes Montgomery County, the Town of Christiansburg, the Town of Blacksburg, and the City of Radford.
Chief Sisson estimated that once preparations are completed that will fully commission the new patrol car, the extra cost beyond the expense involved in commissioning any patrol car should be no more than “a couple of hundred dollars.”
