Partnership provides free car seats

Local youngsters can travel safely thanks to the Salvation Army and the Sidney Police Department.

For the past 12 years, these two organizations have partnered to provide car seats and booster seats to those who can't afford them.

"It's just part of our ongoing project to provide car seats to families who may not otherwise have access to new or proper car seats for their kids," said Sidney's Chief of Police BJ Wilkinson.

The Sidney Police physically provide the seats to the families while the local Salvation Army donates the funding. Lori Borchert, Sidney Salvation Army special projects chair initiated this project in 2003. The funds used to buy the seats are collected during the organization's holiday bell ringing efforts.

"Any family that may need a car seat is welcome to come," Wilkinson said. "We have officers who will assess their needs, provide them with the right piece of equipment, help them install it and we don't ask for anything in return."

The police department typically receives car seat shipments to provide to area families around two to three times per year. The most recent shipment, on July 25, consisted of 20 seats worth a total of $1,300. In addition to providing these seats to those who can't afford to buy them, the Sidney Police will also use them to replace seats damaged in local accidents.

Providing a child with proper seating is vital to his safety when traveling on the road.

"Kids are very vulnerable in automobile accidents," Wilkinson said.

If a child is properly secured in a car seat, he is much more likely to survive an accident than a child who is not in a car seat. With the child secure, the driver can direct all his attention to the road, without worrying about what's going on in the backseat.

"Having the right car seat allows for some of the distractions that take place in the car to be diminished because the kid is secured in the seat and not jumping around," Wilkinson said.

Citizens who need a car seat can head to the Sidney Police Department where officers will speak with them about the age of their children and the type of car they drive. Police will then install and secure the seat in the citizen's car.

Sidney School Resource Officer Curtis Hofrock encouraged all residents with children still in car seats to check the serial numbers on those seats to ensure that they haven't been recalled or expired. He invited all those unsure about their seats to stop in the police department for a check.

"We want to make sure that all of our kiddos traveling through, in or around Sidney are as safe as they could possibly be," Hofrock said.

Both Greyco and Evenflo car seat companies made recent recalls. Hofrock had to replace the buckles on six of the seats previously provided by the Salvation Army.

"Something like that is a simple fix," he said.

In Nebraska, kids up to age six are required to be in an approved, properly installed car seat.

"Most states are going away from the weight limits and just going with the age," Hofrock said.

If parents have questions about whether or not their child should be in a car seat, they can call the police department.

Since the fruition of this project more than a decade ago, Borchert estimated that the Salvation Army had provided around 500 to 600 car seats to Sidney kids.

"Since we started advertising a little bit more that we have these seats, I have a tough time keeping them on hand," Hofrock said.

Those interested in receiving a free seat don't need to provide any income information, the Sidney Police simply wish to ensure that all kids traveling on area roads can do so safely.