Joy rides

Wright State police officers visited with dozens of children on Oct. 3 as part of Children’s Campus Week at Mini University.

Officers participated in a show-and-tell in which they demonstrated their police equipment and allowed kids to hop in the driver’s seat, touch buttons and turn on the lights and sirens on the Wright State police cruisers. McGruff the Crime Dog also made a surprise visit.

The Police Department is planning future visits and safety programs at Mini U so officers can connect with children throughout the school year.

“We wanted to show them that the police are our friends,” said Britney Leavelle, executive director at Mini U.

The visit allowed officers to talk about their jobs and connect with young children in the Raider community.

“These little Raiders could be our future Raiders at the university so let’s start building those relationships now,” said Kurt Holden, director of public safety.