LAKEWOOD, Colo. — Lakewood police are making sure drivers are being cautious around school zones with a new initiative to get their attention during drop off in the morning.
Meet Sgt. Coney, the latest initiative from the police department to help students cross the street at South Lakewood Elementary in a safe and timely manner.
Police say the school is in a high traffic area and Sgt. Coney makes drivers slow down, even if it's just to look.
Under the suit is Sgt. Ben Barefoot. He came up with the idea to raise awareness and get the message out and kind of a light hearted way.
"The biggest takeaways from an operation like this is, kids are small and most of them are going to be below the height of the top of the hood of an SUV," Sgt. Barefoot says. "In school zones, drivers have to focus on driving slow and keeping in mind that your peripheral vision may make it hard to a child crossing, until it's too late."
You can see more of the work Sgt. Coney is doing for the community in the tweet below.
Sgt.“Coney” was crossing the street in a school zone when a driver staring at their phone came quickly through. The driver did NOT have his eyes on the road. Fortunately, one of our Agents was there to set him straight. The lesson? Keep your head up & speeds down in School Zones! pic.twitter.com/s3syXKsVL7
— Lakewood Police Dept. (@LakewoodPDCO) October 25, 2022