By Jodi Hausen,Staff Writer

WILTON – Police are supposed to keep people safe, Wilton Police Officer Edward Leahy told Pam Brooks’ second-grade class Wednesday.

Leahy spent a majority of his day off presenting safety programs to children at Cushing School, where he has been offering a keeping-kids-safe program since 1987.

Clad in a blue uniform, he likened himself to Cookie Monster on “Sesame Street.” He may look scary, big and blue, but he’s really there to help, he told the children.

Children waved and smiled at Leahy as he walked down the hallway to the classroom, some calling him by name. He’s a personality there and the kids really seem to enjoy his show.

Infusing humor into an informational presentation kept them engaged and giggling. But, he warned them that when he is on duty, he would never act so silly.

He first showed the class everything he carries on his belt, assuring them that his gun held no bullets while he was in the school. He’s the only one permitted to bring a gun to school, he told them. He passed around an old bulletproof vest and let the children try to lift his holster belt, which weighs about 22 pounds.

Using metaphors to bring his lessons to life, he compared his bulletproof vest to a turtle’s shell, pepper spray’s deterrent effects to a skunk’s aroma and handcuffs to bracelets that are a lot less fun to wear.

He explained that jail “is a time-out room for grown-ups” and that children would not go to jail. There is a jail for kids, he said of the youth center, but it’s like school. The difference, though, is that you don’t get to leave school if you’re there, he told them.

The keeping-kids-safe program, presented to pupils in kindergarten through third grade, is designed to get students “to feel comfortable with a police officer,” according a handout about the program. Leahy visits the school three times a year, presenting 40-minute programs on such subjects as seat belt use, emergency reporting, the dangers of strangers, bicycle and pedestrian safety, violence and drug-use prevention. The rigors of newly mandated state testing thwarted the program for third grade this year, according to Leahy.

Sitting in a kid-sized chair after the children left for lunch, Leahy explained his reasons for wanting to provide this service.

“We’re here to protect the innocent,” he said of his job. Who are the most innocent citizens we have? he asked.

Children are sometimes scared to turn to police when things go wrong, he said.

“I’ve always felt we have to reach out to them because they won’t reach out to us,” he said.