Eunice officer champions child car seats

Since its inception in Eunice last fall, a child passenger safety program has helped parents and guardians properly secure children in car seats.
The program began with Safe Kids Worldwide, a nonprofit that works to prevent deaths of children from preventable injuries. The program trains child passenger safety technicians to educate communities on car seat installation.
In the United States, about 40,000 people have become certified as child passenger safety technicians. Technicians are not paid for their service.
The Louisiana Passenger Safety Task Force adopted the program. Last fall, Eunice became one of the state’s 60 car-seat fitting stations.
Task force members have installed 6,403 car seats in the state. The task force holds child passenger safety conferences and public events, such as car seat-fittings, throughout Louisiana.
In Southwest Louisiana, only 17 percent of the car seats that technicians inspected in June were properly installed, according to a recent report from the task force.
Sgt. Stephanie Myers, the juvenile officer at the Eunice Police Department since 2015, hopes to raise that number.
Myers has become a spirited advocate for safer car seats. She serves as a child passenger safety technician, having trained with the Louisiana Passenger Safety Task Force.
Myers assists with car-seat fittings at Word Ministries from 4 to 6 p.m. on Mondays. Car-seat fittings are free.
“Sometimes, four or five families come; sometimes, no one comes. I’m still there no matter what. I’m there rain or shine,” she said, sounding chipper. “It’s a great opportunity to get the information out to the families.”
She teaches parents and guardians to secure car seats so that each seat meets the requirements of a child passenger safety checklist. Children do not have to be present for the installation, but Myers encourages parents to bring them.
“We make sure the harness is correct. We make sure it’s not loose on the child. We want that child to be safe,” she said.
“Our job is not to install car seats. Our job is to actually educate the families and help them learn how to install the car seats. We want them to leave confident.”
Technicians have also been trained to install car seats, car beds and vests designed for children with special needs. Medical professionals prescribe these items.
Myers said medical car seats accommodate children whose physical, behavioral, developmental or emotional conditions demand specialized health care.
Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, for example, are often prescribed medical car seats, she said. Children with broken bones and other injuries can be candidates for medical car seats or car-vests. Other car seats are made for infants who weigh less than nine pounds.
Myers encourages parents and guardians who are unable to attend Monday fittings to schedule an appointment with her. She is glad to meet with parents of newborns to secure car seats even at the hospital.
Myers praised Police Chief Randy Fontenot for his continued support and his “proactive” role in bringing the child passenger safety program to Eunice.
She plans to keep the program running as long as she can.
“I love the community. It’s nice to give something back.”
Visit safekids.org for more information.