Erik Estrada, who played Officer Frank "Ponch" Poncherello on the television show "CHiPs" from 1977-83,Ā was sworn in as a reserve police officerĀ Saturday in the small town of St. Anthony, Idaho.
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As a spokesperson for the Safe Surfinā Foundation, Estrada has spent the past decade educating both children and adults against the dangers of online predators.
"Education is the best protection, especially on the internet," EstradaĀ toldĀ the Idaho State Journal. "Certainly don't ever go meet someone you've been chatting with. They're not who they are. If they send a picture, that isn't them."
On Saturday, MayorĀ Neils Thueson swore Estrada in at City Hall in St. Anthony, which is a town of 3,500 people.
Estrada, who was named the international face of Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) in 2000 and made aĀ full-time deputy sheriff in Bedford County, Virginia, is living his dream of actually being involved in law enforcement ā a dream heās had since even before his acting days.
āI wanted to be a cop first and then I became an actor and then became a cop on TV. The TV thing allowed me to become a reserve officer in Indiana. I became a real cop,ā he said. āHow many people have that kind of blessing? Iāve been blessed that way. Iāve been lucky."
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