Community Outreach

The citizens of Arkansas City continue to show their support of our department, and we, in turn, continue to focus on their best interests. One main focus of ACPD is improving and maintaining great community contacts. This effort can be seen in the actions and attitudes of our officers. Throughout the year, ACPD officers work diligently to schedule time for community outreach. The department continues to create opportunities for positive interactions with the citizens. 

Badgetober
Badgetober is one of our favorite outreach opportunities in cooler weather months. It traditionally lasts the whole of October, starting with National Night Out.

Each year, our officers hand out 1,500 and 2,000 sticker badges to the youth of Arkansas City. In addition to National Night Out, there are two other events in October during which we make concerted efforts to get out and hand these sticker badges to our community – Arkalalah and Halloween foot patrol.

Sticker Badges are handed out at schools, when officers visit, or whenever officers encounter a child while they are out and about in the community.

Coffee with a Cop
Coffee with a Cop is an outreach used by ACPD that is specifically designed to interact with the adults in our community. We hold several of these events throughout the year.

Coffee with a Cop is generally held at local venues and is announced several weeks before the event is to take place.

Popsicle Patrol
Popsicle Patrol is a program started in the summer of 2017 to encourage officers to continue positive contact with children during the summer months. It focuses on officers getting out of the patrol cars and distributing frozen treats to citizens, young and old, throughout the city. 

Recruitment Vehicle
The Arkansas City Police Department collaborated with Frances Willard Elementary to create a unique graphic design for one of its patrol vehicles. Second-grade students at actively participated in the design process, with ACPD officers assisting them during their regular art classes.

The students' handprints were collected and sent to a company, which transformed them into red, white, and blue vinyl applications. These handprint designs now embellish an otherwise black Dodge Charger used by the police department. Additionally, the phrase "To Serve and Connect" is displayed over the front fender wells of the vehicle.

This patrol car serves for regular law enforcement duties, training sessions, and various special events.