By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
Whether it entailed participation in a family fun night or visits to a local elementary school, the Whitewater Police Department has been engaging with residents of all ages outside their traditional setting in recent months, based on an account the head of the department shared recently.
Police Chief Aaron Raap provided highlights of the department’s outreach efforts at the Whitewater Police and Fire Commission’s most recent quarterly meeting.
“I’m very happy and proud of how the men and women have engaged with this community,” Raap told commissioners at the Nov. 7 meeting. “That’s not to say they haven’t before, but I believe it’s very important, as do many or most of them.”
Events police officers have taken part in since the commission’s last meeting included the late summer Big Rig Gig amid Family Fun Night.
More recently, the department also worked with the city’s communications department and took part in a localized version of Coffee With a Cop, which is a national program designed to forge stronger bonds with the community.
This year’s launch of Coffee With a Cop was “relatively last minute,” Raap said, but it went off without a hitch because of collaboration with Kristin Mickelson, public relations and communications manager.
“It was a pretty good turnout,” Raap said. “Next year, we plan to get the word out with more advance (notification).”
Officers also paid visits to Washington Elementary twice since school resumed in early September.
Raap said one of the activities — Pick a Day, Come and Play — demonstrated the commitment officers give on and off the clock. Raap said he and several other on-duty officers played different sports with the students.
“We also had three off-duty officers who chose to show up — unpaid and in uniform,” Raap said.
As fall progressed, Whitewater Police again visited Washington Elementary at staffers’ requests to take part in a safety-related event.
Plans call for Raap providing commissioners with regular updates of the department’s outreach efforts at future meetings.
“I thoroughly enjoyed hearing about your involvement, and the other officers’ involvement, within the community,” PFC chairman Glenn Hayes said. “I would welcome it at every meeting.”
Speaking in broad terms, Raap said the department will continue to provide its resources for outreach activities to disparate local groups.
“We are almost always able to fulfill those requests,” Raap said.
Commissioners also heard a report from Raap about the department’s accreditation efforts, which is an ongoing process.
The department has attained accreditation in the past, and Raap said it has been in the midst of renewing the effort, which needs to be achieved once every three years.
The accreditation process entails an inspection of 233 different aspects within the agency, including a comb-through of policies, procedures and carryout of operations.
“It’s a very important thing,” Raap said of accreditation. “I believe in professional policing — not only in this state, but in the entire country.”
