Volume 18 | October 2019
Cedar Rapids Police Department
Monthly News and Information
Welcome to the Official Monthly Newsletter of the Cedar Rapids Police Department. We appreciate the opportunity to serve you and continue to make Cedar Rapids a safe place to live, work, or visit.
Community Engagement and News
Thank you for the opportunity to connect with you through several activities and events over the past month. Here are highlights of a few of those events, along with some news and information.
Police Academy Graduation
The Cedar Rapids Police Department is pleased to announce the graduation of the 47th Basic Cedar Rapids Regional Police Academy. The Graduation Ceremony was held at Kirkwood Community College Ballantyne Auditorium on October 4, 2019.

The Cedar Rapids Regional Police Academy began on June 10, 2019 and concluded with the Graduation Ceremony. The Academy included 18 weeks of basic training for police recruits. We look forward to their service to our community.
Graduates included from the Cedar Rapids Police Department: Mitchell Lee Becker, Bradley Philip Day, David Kenneth Dyckman, Christopher John Hennessy, Christopher Michael Hettinger, Blair Leah Klostermann, Emily Mae Machula, Samuel Mehaffey Maresh, Lea Mae Matthes, William Clayton McArtor, Jonathon Andrew McDowell, Skylar Anthony Mullins, Jacob James Paulsen, Taylor Lynn Pfiffner, A’Alyiah Afeni Michelle Watkins and from the Dubuque Police Department: Lavontay Vincent Cobb, Amber Jane Hoffman, Colin Edwin Reeg, Sage Donahue Schroeder.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Several Cedar Rapids Police Officers are wearing pink badges while on duty for the entire month of October for breast cancer awareness and to support all cancer survivors. Approximately 20 police officers purchased the badges with their own money to show their support. The Police Department authorized the pink badges to be worn throughout the month. In addition, several Police Officers will be wearing a pin with the Cedar Rapids Police logo within a pink ribbon. The pin will be worn on the right side of the officer’s uniform above the name plate.
On October 1, the Police Department hosted a delegation from Poland that wanted to learn more about the  City of Cedar Rapids and the Police Department. The delegation included Romuald Burczyk, President of the Board of the Polish-American Development Council who represented the Probation Officers Academy of Poland, Adam Burczyk, President of the Board of Business Communications Group Ltd., Dr. Kamala Stupska, Faculty of Educational Studies, Department of Social Pedagogy, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Malgorzata Wtodarczyk, Mayor of the Miasteczko Krajenskie, and Artur Cielinski, Professional Probation Officer, Specialist.
The Police Department was awarded a federal grant for $222,345 from the FY19 Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program through the United States Department of Justice. The grant will be used to enhance a prior federal match grant that allowed the Police Department to partner with Foundation 2 to employ a Law Enforcement Liaison with the goal of connecting those experiencing mental health issues to appropriate resources rather than incarceration. T he majority of the grant funds will be used over the next 3 years to enhance police response to those with mental illness or co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders. The grant will add a second Liaison position.
Each year, millions of children and adults alike celebrate Halloween, a holiday known for its sweet treats and spooky parties. To help spread the message that Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving , the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is teaming up with the Cedar Rapids Police Department to remind everyone of the dangers of drunk driving. Halloween poses an especially dangerous threat to pedestrians, as more people are out at night on the hunt for candy. If your night involves alcohol, plan for a sober ride home. Remember: It’s never safe to drink and drive. Even one drink can impair judgement. For most, even one drink can be one too many.

Halloween Safety
The Police Department recommends that parents and guardians talk to their kids about safety before allowing children to go out trick-or-treating. Children are encouraged to trick-or-treat before it gets dark. Children younger than age 10 should not be alone crossing streets on Halloween without an adult. 
If older kids are mature enough to go trick-or-treating without adult supervision, parents should make sure they go in a group and stick to a predetermined route with good lighting.

Drivers need to be extra alert as there will be more children on the streets and sidewalks – and those kids may be focused on gathering candy and caught up in the excitement of the holiday rather than being careful while crossing streets. Drivers should avoid distractions and put down their mobile devices and slow down on neighborhood roads.

The Police Department offers the following safety advice:

  • Cross the street safely at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks. Look left, right and left again when crossing and keep looking as you cross. Walk-- don’t run-- across the street.
  • Walk on sidewalks or paths. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible. Children should walk on direct routes with the fewest street crossings.
  • Slow down and stay alert - watch out for cars that are turning or backing up and never dart out into the street or cross in between parked cars.
  • Costumes can be both creative and safe. Decorate costumes and bags with reflective tape or stickers and, if possible, choose light colors.
  • Masks can obstruct a child's vision, so choose non-toxic face paint and make-up whenever possible instead.
  • Have kids carry glow sticks or flashlights in order to see better, as well as be seen by drivers. 

Upcoming Events
Drug Take Back Day - October 26
The Police Department will be participating in the Drug Enforcement Administration's National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 26, 2019 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be a walk-up location at the Police Station, 505 1st Street SW, for citizens to drop off unused or expired medications.
Items accepted include prescriptions, vitamins, prescription ointments, pet medications, prescription patches, and over-the-counter medications. Items not accepted included needles, inhalers, aerosol cans, thermometers, lotions or liquids, and hydrogen peroxide.

To help combat the continued vaping health crisis across the country, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Cedar Rapids Police Department will be collecting vaping pens and cartridges at the Police Station. Through discussions with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), DEA has determined that vaping pens without the internal batteries are considered household hazardous waste, the exact same waste designation as the National Drug Take Back Initiative (NTBI) collected pharmaceuticals and can therefore be co-mingled with NTBI materials. 
Trick-or-Treat with Police Officers
Bring your little ghosts and goblins to Sunner Memorial Park on Halloween (Thursday, October 31, 2019) from 4-6 p.m. Cedar Rapids Police Officers and Police Volunteer Corps members will be handing out goodies and books to each child.

Sunner Memorial Park is located between the Police Station and the Cedar River near the intersection of 8th Avenue and Valor Way SW.
Cedar Rapids Police Department Community Outreach Division | 319-286-5425 | Email | Website