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Police tell special needs children about career
• Ceres officers take canine, motorcycle, patrol cars to Modesto
Coey Henson
Canine officer Coey Henson and motorcycle officer Freddie Ortiz make a presentation to students at the B.E.S.T. facility in Modesto recently.

Ceres Police Department went above and beyond the call of duty when officers made a presentation to autistic and special needs children in Modesto for Career Week.

Each summer Behavioral and Educational Strategies and Training (B.E.S.T.) holds a Career Week where employees of different occupations are invited to speak to students about their job. In the most recent past two years the company has had Modesto Police and a California Highway Patrol Officer to spend time with the kids at the West Rumble Road facility.

The company has a connection to Ceres Police Department. Cheyanne Izquierdo, M.S., a clinical supervisor at the facility, is married to Ceres police officer Christian Izquierdo.

“He asked me if his department would be able to come this year for Career Week, and I thought it was a great idea,” said Cheyanne. “Detective Sgt. Trenton Johnson went to administration for this request who gladly obliged and agreed that it would be a great opportunity to reach out to the community. Detective Sgt. Johnson pulled out all the stops for us.”

Ceres Police brought the armored SWAT vehicle, a patrol car, a K-9 unit, as well as a motorcycle officer. Some of the officers even came in on their day off to give these kids a one-of-a-kind experience. One of the big hits was police canine Dex who was brought by Officer Coey Henson, as well as Officer Freddie Ortiz and his police motorcycle.

The children were able to crawl inside the SWAT vehicle, explore the inside of the patrol vehicle, and listen to the lights and sirens. Officers explained when it’s appropriate to contact the police, and how to contact them. They also taught the kids about emergencies and what defines an emergency.

Patrol Officer Izquierdo, and Detective Matt Berlier gave a great informational presentation to the kids.

“We were all very impressed with the show they gave us and are super appreciative that they were able to take the time to provide that presentation to us,” said Mrs. Izquierdo.