MARYSVILLE — Gallons of paint were hauled out. A rusted floor was repaired, and the bad smell was cleaned away.
With a lot of elbow grease and determination, an old bread van is sparkling white .
"This is our way to help the community by advertising the effects that drinking and driving have on people," said Seth Kinney, captain of Snohomish County Explorer Post 2207.
Kinney, 19, and a handful of other volunteers with the sheriff’s office explorer program christened the van at the north precinct in Marysville.
The explorers spent months converting the van into a rolling billboard. A big yellow sign on the side reads: "Report a drunk. Call 911."
Years ago, volunteers had used the van to clean up graffiti around the county, Kinney said.
"There were gallons and gallons of paint. It was a mess," said 17-year-old Tanya Kaczka, a sergeant with the post.
The van was parked in Kaczka’s family driveway for two months. Her dad, John, also helped transform the van into a mobile "command center" for explorers.
"You can have ideas, but to really have things happen you need dedicated people. Instead of going to movies or out having fun, they were working on the van to help save lives," said Capt. Herb Oberg, who challenged the explorers to fix up the van.
The group and the van will travel around the county to bring the message, "Drunk Drivers Break Hearts." The van also will serve as the explorers’ own precinct, where they can mobilize when helping deputies.
The explorers, ages 14-20, volunteer with the sheriff’s office to learn more about police work and to assist deputies. They do traffic control, fingerprint children, hand out educational material and help at crime scenes.
"You learn there is more to being a police officer than meets the eye," Kinney said.
Kinney joined the explorers in 1999 with the intention of passing the time until he could move into a career as a paramedic. He has since changed his mind and has six months until he can start testing to become an officer.
"I’m so proud of these guys. The explorer program is contributing to our strategic plan to fight crime," Sheriff Rick Bart said.
Reporter Diana Hefley:
425-339-3463 or
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