Santa Maria police decorate patrol vehicle in honor of Down Syndrome Awareness Month

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Santa Maria police painted one of their patrol vehicles blue and yellow this week in honor of Down Syndrome Awareness Month.

For one officer, this was a very special moment that hit close to home.

"This is very important to me because we have a son Michael who's 13 years old who has Down Syndrome. This is also important to share his story with our community so that parents who have a small child perhaps can see how great these kids are, and that even though they have limitations, they are capable of doing a lot of different things that normal kids do," said Santa Maria officer Alfredo Ruiz.

Officers will be driving the blue and yellow car around the city over the next month.

Businesses can also ask to have the patrol vehicle stop in front of their workplaces. If you are interested, you can contact the Santa Maria Police Department.

This project was made possible thanks to support from the community.