Volume 6 | September 2018
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
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.
Last spring, School Resource Officer Anne Deutmeyer asked the McKinley PTA for assistance in putting together Emergency Buckets for McKinley Middle School. The idea was shared with Wyatt and Christopher, local Boy Scouts with Troop 28, who are 6th graders at McKinley this fall, and they made it a service project. The boys assembled 70 Emergency Buckets, filling each one with donated items to be used in case of an emergency, like emergency blankets and other supplies.
It was a fantastic summer of baseball as the Cedar Rapids Kernels and the Police Department teamed up to engage youth with a program called “Catch With a Cop.” Officers, baseball players, and kids play catch and play a game of Wiffle Ball. All the kids received baseballs autographed by the players and officers after the game. The event on August 16th was the fifth and final event of the year. The Kernels and Police Department have been teaming up for 2 years with this program.
Cedar Rapids police officers went shopping with 107 children to help them pick out school supplies as part of the Annual Cops and Kids Back to School shopping event. Police officers raise money throughout the year through the Cedar Rapids Police Protective Charity to be able to help children in our community. Officers often donate money themselves and are appreciative of donations from businesses and citizens. For more information about the charity, visit www.crpolicycharity.com.
The Women of the Cedar Rapids Police Department have adopted a portion of the U.S. Interstate 380 highway system as part of the Iowa Department of Transportation's Adopt-A-Highway program. The officers adopted the mile stretch from Wright Brothers Boulevard SW to the south. The Women of CRPD braved a hot, humid day in mid-August to pick up litter. This is one of many ways that employees are working to make our community cleaner and even more inviting.
Throughout August, Lieutenant Charlie Fields gave several presentations to area educators and school administrators about Active Threat Response and Awareness. The United States Department of Homeland Security, Cedar Rapids Police Department, and local schools endorse "Run, Hide, Fight" protocols. The program offers valuable information to students and staff on potential action steps to consider taking if or when confronted with a variety of unsafe or violent situations.
National Night Out was held on August 7th in neighborhoods throughout the community. National Night Out is way for neighbors to get to know one another and work to prevent crime in their neighborhood. Police officers and firefighters visited with neighbors and shared information about the Police Department's Citizens' Police Academy and the Fire Department's smoke alarm and fall safety programs. There were over 25 events this year.
Did you know that 265 vehicles were reported stolen in Cedar Rapids this year through August? Last year, there were 218 stolen through August. The majority of the vehicles were left running unattended or the keys were left in the ignition.
Don't Let a Thief Steal Your Wheels
* Never leave your car running or the keys in the ignition
when you are away from it, even for "just a minute."
* Always roll up the windows and lock the car, even if it's in
front of your house.
* Never leave valuables in plain view, even if your car is
locked. Put them in the trunk or at least out of sight.
* Park in busy, well-lighted areas.
* Don't leave personal identification documents or credit
cards in your vehicle.
* When you pay to park in a lot or garage, leave just the
ignition key with the attendant. Make sure that no personal
information is attached.
Upcoming Events
Cedar Rapids police officers will be participating in the annual “Cop on a Rooftop” event at Dunkin' Donuts, 2905 Blairs Ferry Road NE, on Friday, September 7th to help support Special Olympics of Iowa. The event will be held from 6:00-11:00 a.m. at 22 Dunkin’ Donuts locations throughout the state of Iowa, including the Cedar Rapids Blairs Ferry location. This is the 4 th Annual “Cop on a Rooftop” fundraiser to benefit the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Iowa. Citizens receive a free medium hot or iced coffee coupon with any donation. 
The Police Department Citizens' Academy this fall has reached maximum capacity. We are pleased that citizens want to take the opportunity to learn more about police department operations and the many ways that officers protect life and property in our community. The fall Citizens' Academy will be held from September 19-November 21. If you are interested in participating in the Academy in the spring, please contact Sergeant Laura Faircloth at (319) 286-5425 or l.faircloth@cedar-rapids.org .
Cedar Rapids Police Department Community Outreach Division | 319-286-5425 | Email | Website