Volume 9 | December 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.
The participants of the Citizen’s Police Academy graduated on November 21st from the 10 week-long program. If you are interested in attending the next Citizen’s Police Academy, it will be held March 6 - May 8, 2019. The class meets every Wednesday night from 6:00-9:00 p.m. If you would like to attend, visit the Police Department website at www.cedar-rapids.org/police for an application or stop by the Police Station at 505 1st Street SW. The Academy is held in the spring and fall each year.
The Cedar Rapids Police Protective Charity presented a donation to the Safe Sleep Task Force (SSTF). The SSTF's program Cribs for Kids provides a 2-hour educational class for expectant parents who have state insurance or are 200% below the federal poverty level. The class offers education about safe sleep for infants, the value of well child examinations and immunizations, coping with crying infants, and postpartum depression. To learn more about the Police Charity, visit www.crpolicecharity.com .
The Police Department continues to team up with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders for the "Every Goal Matters' anti-bullying program. All 300 7th and 8th graders at McKinley Middle School participated in the program on November 13th. Another 265 sixth grade students participated in the program on November 29th at Harding Middle School. The RoughRiders led a discussion about bullying experiences that they had been involved in or dealt with and they explained the importance of treating everyone with respect.
One of the newest officers at the Police Department is Johanna, an 18-month old Belgian Malinois from Holland. Johanna has been partnered with Officer Amy Shuman since March 2018. Officer Shuman and Johanna completed a 6-week handler school in April at Shallow Creek Kennels located in Sharpsville, Pennsylvania. Johanna is a certified Police Service Dog through the North American Working Dog Association. Johanna is trained to locate illegal narcotics, track, search buildings, conduct article searches, apprehend suspects, and protect her handler.
The Cedar Rapids Police Department is participating in the Toys for Tots campaign. Already the tree has bicycles and toys that Police Department families have donated to children in our community. The Marine Toys for Tots program has been delivering hope since 1947 with 548 million toys distributed and 251 million children supported. The Salvation Army - Cedar Rapids handles all registrations for families in need and the collection of toys runs from October 26th to December 7th. Toys will be distributed to families on December 12-13.
The Ding-A-Ling Bell Choir from Garnett Place Retirement Community performed at the Police Station on December 5th. This has turned into a holiday tradition where the group plays music of the season at various businesses throughout the city. The Choir has been performing since 2012. For more information, call 319-551-4492 or to inquire about booking the choir, call 319-551-4492. Be sure to check out the Police Department Facebook page for videos from the event. Garnett Place is located at 202 35th Street Drive SE.
One of the most effective tools for preventing a would-be thief from stealing packages from outside of your home is to install a video surveillance system. Some systems allow you to engage verbally with someone that approaches your home and warn them that you will be contacting police. Video images captured with a surveillance system can be extremely beneficial to criminal investigations as well.
Beware of the Porch Pirates
  • If you are expecting a home delivery, it is recommended that you track the package through the shipping company so that you know when the package arrives so that you can make sure it is brought inside your home as soon as possible or a neighbor can pick up the package for you.
  • If your workplace allows, have packages delivered to your place of employment.
  • If there is a brick and mortar store in Cedar Rapids and you make a purchase through their online store, the package can usually be delivered and picked up at the store.
  • If you believe that a delivery may have been stolen, contact the shipping company and retailer who can assist you with a claim.
  • File a police report by calling 319-286-5350. If you have video or other evidence of a suspect, please advise the Police Department as this can aid in the investigation.
 
Upcoming Events
Join Cedar Rapids Animal Care & Control and the Friends Helping Friends Foundation for their annual PAWS for the Holidays Open House event, on Saturday, December 8th from Noon to 4:00 p.m. at the Cedar Rapids Animal Care & Control Center located at 900 76 th Avenue Drive SW. Open House activities include live music from Young at Harp, Lori’s Face Painting and Santa Claus for the kids’ enjoyment, refreshments, a bake sale filled with delicious goodies and treats, a FREE photo booth equipped with props to help make your Holiday photo shoot memorable, incredible adoption specials for both the cats and the dogs. Pet adoptions on Saturday, December 8th only, will be reduced to a mere $5 for any spayed or neutered dog or cat. 
Are you looking for a fun activity for your children to participate in over the winter break? Stop by the Cedar Rapids Police Station on Thursday, December 27th between 2:00-4:00 p.m. for Crafts with a Cop. Children between the age of 5 and 14 years of age will have the opportunity to make a craft or two with police officers. All of the craft supplies will be provided. It is an excellent opportunity for police officers to interact and build trust with youth in our community.
Cedar Rapids Police Department Community Outreach Division | 319-286-5425 | Email | Website