Thursday, May 13, 1999

Race car's message: No drugs

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Hamilton police grab attention

BY JANICE MORSE
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Steve Ormsby, right, a master auto technician, made this Legends car street compatible. Hamilton police will use it in anti-drug programs. (Dick Swaim photo) | ZOOM |

        HAMILTON — City police are adding horsepower to their anti-drug, anti-gang and anti-violence programs for young people.

        On Wednesday, the police division unveiled a “Legends” race car, a 5/8-scale replica of a 1940 classic coupe. The car is being used as another way to attract kids' attention and illustrate the importance of staying drug-free.

        “When drivers race inches apart, at 190 mph, it becomes very apparent you need complete control of all your faculties,” said Sgt. Tom Kilgour, Hamilton police spokesman. “There's no way you could do drugs and do this sport — that's one of the messages we're trying to get across to the kids.”

        The car, valued at about $15,000, is being donated by Arslan Uniforms Suppliers of Cincinnati for use in the police Drug Abuse Resistance Educa tion (DARE) and Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT) programs.

        “It's worth every penny if it does the job it needs to,” said Steve Arslan, a co-owner of the business, which supplies some Hamilton officers with uniforms. “As soon as I saw it, I loved it.”

        Sgt. Kilgour, who heads the police division's public affairs section, credits his wife, Esther, with the idea for the car.

        “I thought it would be something that draws kids. I was born in a NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) town and have been a fan all my life,” said Mrs. Kilgour, a native of Bristol, Tenn.

        She cherishes a photo taken there when she was 4¹/₂ and posed next to a race car owned by racing legend Richard Petty.

        The Kilgours see how children are drawn to the cars.

        “We go to a lot of these NASCAR events, and the first thing you see are all the kids coming up to the cars. They want to touch them and sit in them, and get their picture taken with them,” Sgt. Kilgour said.

        “That picture is something that kid can take home with them. It leaves a lasting impression, and that's what we're after.”

        Sgt. Kilgour also points to the growing popularity of NASCAR racing, calling it “the fastest-growing sport among families.”

       

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