As the Public Information Officer for the Arvada Police Department, Dave Snelling works to foster relationships within the community and help citizens understand that officers are regular people who have an extraordinary job.
“We've made a priority of humanizing the badge and helping people understand that the people who do this work are just like everyday folks. They're not perfect people, and they're asked to be superhuman when they see some of the most inhumane things in everyday life,” shares Snelling, who served the department in various roles before taking on the position of Public Information Officer a few years ago. “So, I love the fact that I get to have a voice in sharing the stories and the good things that the police department does on a daily basis. We've seen an increase in certain violent and gun crimes, and yet we still see police officers coming in wanting to do this work. It's important for me to be able to share, based on my experience, the great things that they do.”
Because the role of a police officer is so complex, the goal of the Arvada PD is to have kids and others in the community have their first interaction with a police officer be a positive experience and not during a stressful emergency or traumatic event. To accomplish this goal, fostering good communication and building relationships within the community is vital.
The department creates opportunities for these positive interactions with kids through several intentional programs including School Resource Officers in the school system. “We've always been very lucky to have School Resource Officers because it's so incredibly important to have a police officer engage with young people in the community as soon as possible in a manner where it is not an emergency or a crisis,” explains Snelling. “They get to meet and see a police officer in a uniform and understand that they're just everyday people.”
For teens, the department offers Explorer Scouts, a program for 16- to 21-year-olds who are interested in police work to be mentored by an officer once or twice a month. Arvada PD also teams up with Westminster to host the Teen Academy, a week-long summer camp where kids learn about the different areas of the police department. “They come in for a week and get a compacted class where they learn everything from what patrol looks like to driving a police car to how tasers work to crime scene work,” he shares. “They get a little bit of the flavor of police work.”
In an effort to foster a connection between officers and the communities they serve, Arvada PD is divided into area stations. “We basically have a police area station for the different parts of the city, so the officers feel like they are part of that specific community,” says Snelling. “Every community has its own styles and demographics, so the officers can get to know the needs of the community and they can better police them.”
The department also invites citizens to join several educational programs through the Citizens Police Academy and Crime Prevention classes. “With the Citizen’s Police Academy, once a year anybody in the community can come in and they go through twelve weeks of classes, about two hours per week,” he explains. “They get introduced to every section of the police department… everything from the Chief of Police all the way down to evidence, records, and the professional staff work that goes on here.”
In addition to these classes, the department offers opportunities for positive interaction through programs such as Coffee with a Cop, Block Party visits, and National Night Out events.
“We try to meet community members where they live so people feel more comfortable with officers and their presence in the community,” he shares. “If they're coming out of their house onto their block and going to a neighbor's house during these events, we get out to meet all of them. This is another step to break down those barriers of the blue uniform and really humanize the badge.”
Citizens can, in turn, provide moral support and encouragement for officers by attending programs and embracing events. Additionally, a kind word to an officer in person, or a shout out on social media, for a job well done goes a long way in building support for a vital part of the community.
For more information on programs and connecting with your local officers, visit www.arvadaco.gov and follow the Arvada Police Department on Facebook, Instagram, and other social media outlets.