THE HOWARD County Police Department celebrated its 50th anniversary by holding Law Enforcement Day at Columbia's lakefront Saturday. The event included K-9 and tactical demonstrations, an antique police vehicle show and crime prevention information.

"I'm very proud of our agency and very proud to be able to show it off to our citizens," said Police Chief Wayne Livesay. "We're here to say this is who we are and this is what we do to serve you."

Officer Doug Catherman, a member of the SWAT team, provided a close look at some equipment used by police: high-caliber rifles, gas masks, ballistic shields and an armored personnel carrier.

"We have many different tools, just like a carpenter," Catherman said. "Our bread and butter are high-risk search warrants and barricaded subjects."

Officer Gil Feldman was dressed in a camouflage outfit called a Ghillie suit. Silk leaves and burlap were sewn on the camouflaged pants and shirt to give coverage in a woodland setting. The department also has a Ghillie suit for camouflage protection in snow conditions.

"The originators of these were Scottish gamekeepers," Feldman said. "They would dress in these type of things to catch poachers on the king's property."

Feldman, who has served 20 years with the department, nine on the SWAT team, said police use a state-of-the-art night-vision system. "We pretty much own the night with that," he said.

K-9 Officer Tom Harding demonstrated how he and his dog, Kye, work together. Harding has been a K-9 officer for 15 years and said he relies on his four-legged partners.

"You work with a dog enough, you become a team," he said. "The dog depends on me, and I depend on the dog."

Lt. Dennis Beard of the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services gave tours of the Kids Safety House. The mobile unit uses fake smoke to simulate the conditions during a house fire.

"We teach children how to escape from a house and crawl to safety," Beard said.

Livesay has been a member of the Police Department for 30 years. He said serving the community is a personal issue for him. "My mom still lives here, my kids live in the county, my grandkids live here. It's very personal for me," he said. "I want to make sure that not only my kids and grandkids are safe, but everybody else's kids, too.

"I think the citizens of Howard County are very appreciative of everything we do," he added. "This is a time to say thank you back to them."

Sports-A-Thon

Pointers Run Elementary School fifth-graders raised $4,500 for the National Federation of the Blind during a Sports-A-Thon last week.

The children collecting pledges to support their participation in the Sports-A-Thon. Parents Janet Jones and Jeanne Woodhouse were coordinators.

Jones said the children decided to raise money for a charity that was related to childhood diseases. Each class researched an organization. At an assembly, the fifth-graders made presentations and voted on the organization they would support.

"The kids did an unbelievable job. They were very enthusiastic," Woodhouse said.

During the assembly, the children visited seven activity stations, including some where their eyes were covered. "We wanted them to be blindfolded so they could experience what it's like to have that handicap," Jones said. "It's important for them to understand the difficulties and the achievements of the blind."

Patricia Maurer, director of community relations for the National Federation of the Blind, said, "The students have worked very hard to raise contributions, and they have learned a great deal about blindness and what the blind can accomplish. We are proud of their efforts, and we appreciate their generosity."

Leadership U

Thirty-two students will receive training to prepare them for leadership roles through Leadership U, a youth program sponsored by Leadership Howard County. The young people will learn about team building, leadership styles and the community.

Students who have been selected to participate are Aaron Ray, Atholton High School; Julia Eckert, Zachary Thielen, Rebecca Monge, Molly Gemp and Max Chen, Centennial High School; Jessica Slick, Sarah Kurtzman, Caitlin O'Grady, Valerie Novak and Tyler Hurd, Glenelg High School; Kevin Broderick, Glenelg Country School; David Rogawski, Zeke Okoya, Cassie Palmer and Michael Panzera, Hammond High School; Kelly McGuigan, Sarah Brown, Pora Kim and Kristin Vorce, Howard High School; Karezhe Mersha, Long Reach High School; Sarah Pfeifer, Mount Hebron High School; Peter Alpert, Oakland Mills High School; Jiang Wei Zhu, Malissa Durham, Matthew Cox, Katherine Hayne, Jeffrey Shointuch and Shane Steenberge, River Hill High School; Caroline Rogers and Trevis Ellerbe, Wilde Lake High School; and Erik Steciak, who is homeschooled.