The Swatara Township Police Department partnered with Penn State's Pediatric Trauma Prevention Unit and the Steelton-Highspire School District for a car seat check detail.  Like many other school districts in the area, there are a lot of parents who transport their children to and from school within the Steelton-Highspire School District.  Partnering with the Steelton-Highspire Elementary School made perfect sense in order to bring awareness to parents about how to properly restrain their child while they are in a vehicle.  Many parents are unaware of the current seat belt laws for children, therefore many times we find children who are either in the wrong seat for their age OR not in a car seat at all.  This detail provided an opportunity for officers to identify those parents who either did not have their child properly restrained or who were in need of a car seat altogether.  The Penn State Pediatric Prevention Unit was able to donate a car seat to most parents/guardians who needed them during this particular detail.  Additional information on how to obtain a car seat was provided to those who did not receive one.  As a reminder, children 2 years of age or younger are required to be in a proper REAR facing car seat based on their height and weight.  Children ages 2 to 4 are required to be in a five point harness car seat and those children who are 4-8 years of age are required to be in a booster seat.  If you have a child with special needs or who has outgrown their seat but would still be required to be in one based on their age, there are specialized car seats available to ensure they are properly restrained.  Swatara Township Police Department does provide FREE car seat installations and car seat checks to all members of the community.  If you would like to schedule an appointment for a car seat installation/check please contact Cpl. Brandon Pokrop at 717-564-2550 OR reach out via email at bpokrop@swatarapolice.org.  The Swatara Township Police Department does not provide donated car seats at this time.  If you are in need of a donated car seat due to financial hardship please call 717-531-SAFE to see if you qualify and to set up an appointment.