OPD continues Police in the Parks

Yahoo

20 hours ago

Moreland Park was teeming with Owensboro Police Department officers on Thursday.
But this gathering of law enforcement was an intentional meet and greet with the public that OPD calls 'Police in the Park' — a summer community outreach program.
Sgt. Joseph Jones said OPD began hosting it about two years ago as a community event.
Jones added that officers are there not only to answer questions, but also to play games or activities with those who show up.
'…Do little things, have fun at the parks and an opportunity, again, to see officers in a different light than what they usually do,' he said.
Throughout the summer, OPD plans to host at least four 'Police in the Park' events.
Jones said the one at Moreland Park was the first for this summer.
'…We just choose a random park in the city, try to head out there (to) make hot dogs, bring chips, lemonade…,' he said.
Along with the food and games, OPD brought some of its vehicles, such as a restored 1956 Ford police car and current cruisers now utilized by patrol officers.
'…It's an opportunity to bring out some things, let them see stuff that we use in our daily work,' Jones said.
OPD also invited other local agencies such as the Center of Owensboro-Daviess County, a nonprofit that helps people connect to resources based on their need.
Erica Wade, the Center's executive director, was there with the organization's new mobile unit.
Wade said the idea is to bring 'community partners' such as Imagination Library to sites like Moreland Park.
'…The mobile unit is like a pop-up resource fair,' Wade said. 'So we can bring as many as six community partners with us; we have four 10 by 10 tents that come with it; two private rooms, a waiting area on board and a wifi umbrella. This is our first one, so we kind of went light on this one, so we could see what it was all about. Next time we're hoping to bring some more folks with us.'
Although more children were there Thursday, Jones said the Police in the Park events are meant for all ages.
'We had one time at the park that we had more adults come out than kids,' he said.
Ultimately, Jones said it's about OPD's effort to bridge the gap between it and the community.
'…Most people, their experience with the police is they see them making traffic stops or answering calls for service,' Jones said. 'We want them to see that they can come up to us and talk to us like anybody else … build that rapport, so if there's something going on they can pass that information along. It helps us gather information and helps us solves any crimes that are going on in our community.'