More and more I’ve been observing a bevy of law enforcement agencies posting various community engagement events at local eateries or wherever folks agree to meet and greet.
Coffee with a Cop, a police campaign designed to share convos with citizens while sipping a cup of joe paired with pastry or bagel, spread like good cheer…because it is.
Spinoffs to Coffee with a Cop were born, such as Houston, Texas cops staffing a local Burger King serving Whoppers and other menu items, making friends, and engaging in organic chats.
(Photo courtesy of the Houston Police Department.)
A Houston Police press release intimated success: “The community engagement was incredible! We appreciate everyone who joined us at Burger King for meaningful conversations. Together, we strengthen the bond between the police and the community. Let’s continue working together for #OneSafeHouston!”
Despite the legacy media having little interest in the truth about policing, instead choosing to propagandize otherwise clear-cut public safety feats in America, the conventional aspect of people getting to know their cops and vice-versa is receiving justified publicity…mostly by law enforcement agencies putting on various interactive programs.
Over morning coffee today, I received a text from a loved one: “Good morning. You have a minute?”
I called her right away. Salutations aside, she explained some recent bad dreams about police officers being harmed, after which she pointedly inquired of me: “Are cops okay out there?”
As I heard that question and pondered a response (unsure of where to remotely start an easily infinite answer), I looked down at a collection of police patches and memorabilia gifted to me by the cops running the Dallas PD’s OWL (Officer Wellness Longevity) unit. I started my reply there…
Engaging the Community Via Airwaves
“Assist the Officer: Bridging the Divide” is the podcast broadcast by the cops who run the OWL unit. There, you’ll hear raw testimonies from law enforcement officers who have lived the cop culture, who came perilously close to meeting their Maker, who survived to share their hard-fought battles, who bravely opted to sit before the mic, dissecting their journey for listening ears out there in the world.
Deservedly, the cops running the OWL unit have been nominated and awarded in recognition for their outstanding work of saving a score of law enforcement lives impacted by the ubiquity of traumatic situations in policing. In this context, engaging the community manifests via airwaves so the listening public can more than glean the accounts of travesty straight from the mouths of cops who have stood on battlegrounds and lived to recount the tale(s).
In June 2023, Dallas PD’s OWL unit members Misty Vancuren, Danny Canete, and Joe King were awarded the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Professional Achievement award at the State Capital, in honor of their work providing salvation for police officers bearing burdens barnacled from the job.
(Photo courtesy of Assist the Officer: Bridging the Divide.)
Speaking of burdened cops, my family member expounded about how she has been having realistic dreams about police officers in grave danger, some from within (the anti-police climate and administrators who stand idly by, unresponsive and irresponsible). She’s been paying attention to derelict brass! The usual culprits in all this mess are the agenda-propping politicos who churn out falsities, their constituent activists hatching plans to make police lives miserable at every turn.
Once we ended the phone convo, a curious thing happened: a police post popped up in my news feed, giving rise to this article.
The Truth Shall Set You Free
Indeed, the truth shall set us free…
Days ago, Los Angeles PD Officer Deon Joseph posted fatherly pride and deserved accolades regarding his son scoring a seat in the LAPD Police Academy. This morning, Officer Joseph, a longtime face patrolling the complexities of Skid Row in Los Angeles, availed a speech he gave at a venue full of mostly youngsters, sharing with them the reality of being a police officer and the false narrative unrelentingly spewed by mainstream media propagandists.
With his permission, here is his encapsulation about a straight-up heart-to-heart talk with many young members of the community he protects and serves:
“Can I tell you? Today was one of the best days I’ve had in a while. I was allowed to speak to about 200 young brothers and sisters and share a perspective they haven’t heard about policing. They had tough questions. I was not offended by them knowing that they’ve only been fed one narrative about policing for the past several years. I hid nothing from them and did not dodge one question. It was clear I was filling in a lot of blanks for them. When it was over, many of them wanted to shake my hand and take pictures with my fellow officers and me.
“This is why many anti-police types do not want us to share our reality. Because when young people hear the truth, it tears down the walls our detractors have been carefully building. There needs to be more open dialogue. To my fellow officers, you do not have to cave in or play it safe. Just be honest. They will respect that.”
Respect to Officer Joseph and his son for the depth of courage and bravery in grasping the torch and marching forward with integrity, parlayed in good things for all.
Catering a Taste of Cop Culture
One of the best ways law enforcement agencies engage the community folks is via the Citizens Police Academy concept.
These venues are hosted by police organizations across the country on a relatively routine basis, and the dividends from each one typically entail testimonies of newfound perspectives regarding what it is really like to be a cop nowadays.
(Photo courtesy of the Orlando Police Department.)
My department holds a Citizens Police Academy often, rolling out the equipment used to achieve law-and-order objectives as well as search-and-rescue missions, all explained by the professional police force members skilled in delivering public safety attributes.
This police program serves to highly inform the public not only with words but also actions, with certified LEOs exhibiting the instruments used in public safety. As Officer Joseph said above, some tough questions are addressed by beat cops working zones.
Via the Citizens Police Academy concept, cops are well aware of some preconceived notions harbored by some members of the public and head-off confusion by preemptively covering the Who, Why, What, and How of law enforcement operations versus the oft-skewed, cherrypicked versions of events broadcast by the media misinformation and their spin of falsities, making police out to be the bad guys in society.
Without fail, all Citizens Police Academy attendees are grateful for the exposure to the often-stark reality of police work. Many attendees convey commentary hallmarking changed views heaped with additional respect for those endeavoring a better environment in a society rife with perils and disregard for human existence.
Plus, CPA attendees come away with police-oriented souvenirs such as t-shirts, baseball caps, pens, notebooks, and certificates of completion. Reciprocally, the police come away with new neighborhood intel, often shared by CPA attendees cognizant of their surroundings, filling us in on the new residents who seem to have “lotsa vehicle traffic at all hours of the night” (aka potential drug den).
Similarly, a recent Reno, Nevada police department venue invited members of the community and the media to interact with the police force:
“Thanks to all of the community leaders and media who came out to our annual community and media event! This year they were able to experience scenario training with our paint simulator rounds, and what it is like driving our Emergency Vehicle Operations Course which included the PIT maneuver used to stop fleeing vehicles.
(Photo courtesy of the Reno Police Department.)
“This event gives insight into police training and influences conversation about how the police department works and what the community needs.”
After attending the Reno PD event, a commenter underscored our topic today, saying, “This is such a BIG DEAL to have another perspective on just what it’s like to Protect & to Serve. ‘Perspective really is EVERYTHING.’ My personal Thank you to the Reno, Sparks PD, Sheriff’s Departments & the rest of the First Responders in our Northern Nevada community. May God’s Protection & Blessings be upon ALL that Serve & Your Families as well.”
Notice that law enforcement agencies are increasingly inviting members of the media to such events, exposing realities of policing so that accurate information is being shared during broadcasts of criminal incidents. We can hope that effort takes hold like a barnacle and sticks well into the future.
Indeed, the truth needs to be told. Cops engaging the community is one way of ensuring police services are delivered with integrity and with salvation at the core.
