The public turns out for Penn Township police meet-and-greet

About 30 people stopped at Community Church Harrison City recently for a meet-and-greet with the Penn Township Police Department.

The event was a way to introduce community members to the police force as a whole while detailing specific jobs officers hold, police Chief John Otto said.

“As a police department, we need to stay connected with our community, the people within our community, so that they can see and hear what we’re all about. And we can keep in touch with what our community is all about,” Otto said. “It’s important for us to come together as a community and work on these issues together.”

Community members were introduced to several officers, including Patrolman Chad Meyers, who is the DARE officer for kids in second and fifth grades; Patrolman Rob Broome, a drug recognition expert; Detective Brad Buchsbaum, who discussed drug prevention; and Mingo, the department’s police dog.

Otto said this was the first time a meet-and-greet had been held in a township church.

“It’s just a good opportunity for us to introduce ourselves as a police department, who we are, what we stand for and why we do the things that we do,” Otto said.

David Smith, 71, of Harrison City said the Penn Township Police Department approached the church about using the space for the event.

“Of course we’re happy to do anything with the community, so we just jumped at the chance and offered it out to the community to use the facility,” said Smith, a church co-leader.

Several community members, including children, attended the event for a chance to learn more about policing in Penn Township.

Megan Remaley, 46, said she wanted a chance to meet the officers she sees throughout her day.

“You see them, you hear of them, but you don’t know them,” Remaley said. “I see them sitting in our housing plan and know they’re friendly: They say hi to you. But I wanted to know who they are, what their jobs are. I just learned so much about our officers and how safe my community is.”

Otto said he hopes to host similar events in the future.