After the final school bells of the year were heard, about 1,000 Alachua County fifth graders had the opportunity to leave the capital of the “Gator Nation” for hubub of the nation’s capitol, Washington, D.C. The 30th annual Alachua County Sheriff’s Office-sponsored Safety Patrol trip to the District of Columbia provided the opportunity for the helpful students, who had served one of Alachua County’s 33 public, private, charter or parochial schools since September, to see the many sights of the bustling “Beltway.”

The students were accompanied by parent chaperones, teachers, medical personnel and 17 Alachua County Sheriff’s Office deputies. “For some students, this was their first interaction with law enforcement (personnel),” says Alachua County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Keith Faulk. “We have at least one deputy on each bus and they are firm, but friendly. They’ll get off the bus and toss a frisbee with the kids and the kids can see them get everybody back on the bus when it’s time to leave, so they know (the officers) have a job to do, too.”


(PHOTO ABOVE: A Sheriff's Deputy phones in a radio interview from the D.C. trip.)

After departing from the Oaks Mall at 11:30 p.m., the 13 buses and Sheriff’s patrol cars rolled through the night and most of the next day to reach the Washington metro area by 4 p.m. the next day. In order to accommodate so many students, there actually are two separate trips and one of the trips departs Gainesville the same day the first group returns from its trip. “The caravans actually drive right by each other somewhere midway through South Carolina,” Sgt. Faulk explains.

The group began its whirlwind tour through D.C.’s many sights on day three. “The kids are non-stop from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m.,”says Faulk. “We have breakfast and bring a boxed lunch, then there’s a supper buffet. Then, there are some night tours. The way some of the monuments and buildings are lit up at night is even more beautiful than the day.”

The groups visited Arlington National Cemetary, where they saw the eternal flame on the gravesite of former President John F. Kennedy and the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. There also were stops at the White House, the Capitol Building, the Korean War Memorial, the Vietnam War Memorial and the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial. Day four was loaded with more adventures, including tours of George Washington’s home at Mount Vernon, the Smithsonian Museum of Air & Space, Hains Point (where the Potomac River and Anacostia River converge and home of the famous sculpture “The Awakening”), visits to the Supreme Court and Library of Congress and stops at the Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial and Iwo Jima Memorial.

On day five, the groups enjoyed stops at the National Law Enforcement Memorial and the World War II Memorial and tours of Ford’s Theater, the Peterson House, the National Archives and more of the Smithsonian Museums. The touring groups departed early on day six and were back in Gainesville by 9 p.m. that evening. “Washington is such a beautiful city,” says Faulk, who first saw D.C. as a sixth grader on the same Safety Patrol trip. “It’s a very patriotic city.”

The safety patrol is chosen each school year through an application process. Students who are chosen for the patrol have demonstrated good grades and a responsible attitude.

Check out more photos of the tour here.