Officers from the Pell City Police Department (PCPD) will gather at the Pell City Splash Pad on Monday, July 1 from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. to educate kids on water, bicycle, and gun safety.

“We’ll go over a lot of safety, like to let a parent know if you see a gun, do not touch it,” Pell City Police Chief Paul Irwin, Jr. said. “We focused on teaching kids the importance of wearing a helmet for bicycle safety also.”

The intention of the “Cops and Kids” event is to educate the kids and parents about remaining safe around water, riding a bicycle, and gun safety.

According to federal statistics, millions of households in the U.S. have guns, approximately 40 percent of households nationwide. While unintentional firearm fatalities are down 65 percent in the last 20 years, they still occur. The Center for Disease Control states that over 1,300 victims of unintentional shootings for the period 2005-2010 were under 25 years of age, citing that adolescents are particularly susceptible to accidental shootings due to impulsivity, feelings of invincibility, and curiosity about firearms.

Part of the educational demonstration by the PCPD includes giving parents a guide to gun safety rules. For instance, always keeping the gun pointed in a safe direction, always keeping your finger off of the trigger until ready to shoot, and always keep the gun unloaded until ready to use.

The PCPD will have safety literature, coloring books, water bottles, sunglasses, and badges. They are also serving hot dogs, drinks, chips, and popsicles .

This year the sponsors are Royal Sausage, Food Outlet, McSweeney Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, and Pell City Premiere Cinertainment, which has also donated gift cards for a drawing.

The Pell City Police Department will hold another “Cops and Kids” event on Monday, July 8 from 11-3 p.m. For more information, contact the Pell City Police Department at 205-884-3334.