Volume 16 | August 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.
The Cedar Rapids Police Protective Charity hosted its annual “Cops and Kids” program to assist children in need with back-to-school supplies on August 8 at Cedar Rapids North Super Target, 1030 Blairs Ferry Road NE. Partnering with Target, the Cedar Rapids Police Protective Charity provided 106 local children with school supplies, back packs, shoes and new clothing to help them get the school year off to a positive start. To support the Cedar Rapids Police Protective Charity, please visit: www.crpolicecharity.com.
National Night Out was celebrated throughout Cedar Rapids on August 7. There were 21 neighborhoods that hosted events. National Night Out encourages neighbors to come out of their houses and get to know one another. Police officers stopped by all the locations to build relationships and let neighbors know that law enforcement wants to work with them to prevent crime. This was the 20th year events have been organized throughout Cedar Rapids and 36th year of National Night Out nationwide.
The Eastern Iowa Heroin Initiative was recognized for developing innovative solutions to combat the opioid epidemic. The award was given by the Addiction Policy Forum on August 6. The Initiative is funded by the Midwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area and is a joint venture of the United States Attorney's Office and the Cedar Rapids Police Department. The Initiative was formed in 2015 to combat the rise of opioid overdose and death in Iowa by using a 3-part strategy of enforcement, prevention, and treatment.
Cedar Rapids police officers worked with College Community Schools to produce safety videos for the school staff. Several Prairie Creek students and teachers Dan Dyrland and Marija Musselman worked with Officers Janae Obbink, Laura Larson, and Drew Tran throughout the day on August 2.
On August 5, police officers had their final "Catch with a Cop" of the summer at the Jane Boyd Center. This is the third year of a partnership with the Cedar Rapids Kernels to bring together baseball players, police officers, and area children to share a love of baseball and share positive interactions.
The Police Department held three Youth Academies this summer with the final academy concluding on July 31. The Academies are an opportunity for children to learn more about some of the duties and responsibilities of a police officer and to encourage them to consider a law enforcement career.
To register your surveillance camera as part of the voluntary registration program, please visit:

Register Your Home Cameras
The Cedar Rapids Police Department is encouraging citizens to register their private surveillance cameras with the Police Department to help reduce crime in our community and aid in the apprehension of criminals.

Camera footage has proven instrumental in solving and prosecuting crimes. This voluntary registration program allows citizens to be proactive in their neighborhoods. If a crime should occur, the registration database will be beneficial to officers and investigators to be able to know where surveillance video may be available.

Registration database information will not be made available to the public. Information collected is for law enforcement use only. The Police Department will not be able to look at camera images without permission of the owner. Camera images will only be requested for aiding in a criminal investigation.
Upcoming Events

Police Lieutenant Charlie Fields, a 25-year member of the Police Department, will facilitate a program about active threat awareness. Fields oversees the Special Operations Unit, which includes the Special Response Team, Bomb Squad, Crisis Negotiation Team, and Crisis Intervention Team. He is the lead instructor for the Cedar Rapids Police Department and is an Iowa Law Enforcement Academy Regional Instructor for Active Shooter Response Tactics. Fields has been involved in active shooter training since 1999.
Active Threat Awareness and Preparation Program - August 14
The Cedar Rapids Police Department will be conducting a public presentation entitled “Active Threat Awareness and Preparation” on Wednesday, August 14, 2019 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. at the Cedar Rapids Public Library, 450 5 th Avenue SE, in Whipple Auditorium. The program is free of charge. The Police Department will discuss the integrated response training that police officers, firefighters and other emergency services agencies have been performing in our community. Throughout the past several years, the Police Department has worked with City employees, area schools, and other businesses to develop emergency preparedness plans and conduct exercises. The program will also explore some of the possible indicators that someone may be a threat to themselves or others. In addition, the presentation will outline steps that you can take to prepare if you would happen to be in an active threat situation.
Coffee with a Cop - August 23
On Friday, August 23, 2019 officers from the Cedar Rapids Police Department and community members will come together in an informal, neutral space to discuss community issues, build relationships, and drink coffee.

All community members are invited to attend. The event will run from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. on August 23 at Bruegger’s Bagels, 3310 Mt. Vernon Road SE.
Coffee with a Cop provides a unique opportunity for community members to ask questions and learn more about the department’s work in Cedar Rapids neighborhoods.
Cedar Rapids Police Department Community Outreach Division | 319-286-5425 | Email | Website