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Gene Dalton | The Roanoke Times

Christiansburg Sgt. Kevin Darden has to work in a tight space to install a child car seat in a Mustang.

DRAPER -- Christiansburg police Sgt. Kevin Darden climbed into the back seat of his two-door black Mustang and threw his 200-plus pounds against a child safety seat.

He pulled the car's seat belt through the loops on the plastic seat and pulled it as hard as he could before fastening the belt.

One shake of the chair showed that it wasn't going to budge.

"Whew!" he hollered as he stepped backward out of the car. "It's not simple, because you have to put a lot of pressure down on the seat."

Darden and Christiansburg police Officer Rudy Sobina were among 21 law enforcement officers from agencies around Western Virginia who participated in a two-day child safety seat training course Tuesday and Wednesday at the New River Criminal Justice Academy in Draper.

With Darden and Sobina's training completed, the entire patrol division of the Christiansburg Police Department is now qualified to install and check child safety seats, making it the first town department of its size in the state to hold that honor.

Dana Schrad, executive director of the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police, said all the officers in several small departments may be trained, but Christiansburg is the first midsized department to train all of its patrol officers. Both the town's vice officers also are trained, as well as a few other officers who once worked patrol.

"They're one of our more diligent and dedicated police departments when it comes to child safety seat training," she said.

Schrad also cited the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, which has trained 50 deputies in installing child safety seats.

Many departments operate safety seat checkpoints at large grocery and department stores and day care centers, and some, including Christiansburg, invite parents to stop by anytime to get their seat checked.

Lt. Donnie Cromer, the Christiansburg department's traffic safety program manager, said the department has been working since 1998 to train officers on installing the seats.

"We want to make sure all our kids are safe," he said.

Statistics show that many may not be. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, about 90 percent of child safety seats are being used incorrectly.

Cromer said that seems true in Christiansburg. He has seen misuse as simple as leaving the handle up on an infant seat to as serious as the straps being tied in a knot. Some people use used seats, he said, which can be dangerous if the seat's history is unknown or if parts are missing.

"There are all kinds of stuff we see out there," Cromer said. "Many parents can be confused by seats."

And it's no wonder, he said. There are dozens of seats available and not all of them fit all cars.

Not only is the improper use of a child safety seat dangerous, but it's also against the law. Parents can be fined and receive penalty points on their drivers' licenses for not installing a seat properly. It's a primary violation, meaning an officer can pull you over for it.

"New parents particularly don't always know where to go to get advice on installations," Schrad said, so the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police tries to make sure that at least a couple of officers at every police department and sheriff's office in the state are trained.

The association has partnered with the Department of Motor Vehicles and law enforcement agencies to offer the Operation Kids training course as part of the Smart, Safe and Sober campaign.

"The whole idea behind the program is to make the children safe," said Christiansburg Capt. Dalton Reid. "Saving lives is our number one priority, whether it be a toddler or someone 60 years old."

After spending Tuesday morning in a classroom learning how to install different types of seats, Darden, Sobina and the other officers headed to the parking lot to try out what they had just learned. Instructor Don Allen, a law enforcement liaison with the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police, walked around and made sure each team of two officers installed each type of chair.

"There's a little bit more to it than I thought there would be," Sobina said. "I thought it would just be strapping it in."

For Darden, the task at hand was an especially important one. His 3-year-old son, Connor, rides in the seat in the back of his Mustang.

Rhonda Halsey, a deputy with the Grayson County Sheriff's Office and a child safety seat technician, yanked on Connor's seat when Darden finished installing it.

She gave Darden the highest of compliments: "That won't move."

For more information, e-mail Cromer at dcromer@christiansburg.org.