(TMP/MARIE KEMPH)

“Right now, only a handful of officers are trained, and we need more,” Arnold said, adding deputies will complete the program over the next year.

He said he is ramping up certification requirements in response to a staggering statistic – 90 percent of Rutherford County residents do not correctly install child safety seats.

“When I was a new father, I didn’t know what I was doing,” he said. “I had never installed one, so I had to get it checked out as well. We need more certified so that whenever someone gets stopped or comes up to an officer with questions about a safety seat, the officer will know what he’s talking about it.”

The announcement was made during a press conference held to showcase two new car seat demonstrators. Nissan North America, Inc., donated the seats to be used through the Children Are Riding Safely program, started in 2004 by the Sheriff’s Office.

“Promoting the safety of child passengers is vital, and Nissan is very happy to partner with the Sheriff’s Office to support [its] education efforts,” said Bob Yakushi, director of Product Safety and Environmental of Nissan North America.

Each demonstrator features multiple seatbelt configurations, which will allow residents to learn how to install safety seats using the same design they have in their own car.

The construction of the demonstrators was a collaborative effort between Nissan and Sgt. Jimmy Cassidy of the Community Service Unit, who is a certified child safety seat technician in the CARS program, according to a Nissan press release.

“Nissan has gone to great lengths to build the seats at no cost to us,” Deputy Greg Dotson said.

The Sheriff’s Office conducts routine car checkpoints to teach parents the proper way to install seats, Dotson said.

Tennessee law requires babies up to 12 months, weighing no more than 20 pounds, to ride in rear-facing safety seats, and toddlers must sit facing forward until they are 4 years old. From the age of 4 to 9, children must ride in booster seats, or until they reach 4 feet by 9 inches tall.

“This [donation] is a big deal,” Arnold said, “because officers will be able to take the [demonstrators] around the county and teach parents how to put a safety seat in their car the right way.”