Owensboro Police Department will be celebrating Police Awareness Day Saturday with a couple of different events that are designed to bring awareness and understanding in regard to the many services Owensboro’s local police department provides.
The seventh annual Run from the Cops 5K and the 14th annual Police Awareness Day event will take place Saturday at OPD’s headquarters, located at 222 E. 9th St. Run from the Cops will take place at 8:30 a.m. and will start and end at OPD.
Following the 5K will be the Police Awareness Day event from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. in the back parking lot. The event is open to the public and will include free hamburgers, hot dogs and soft drinks, as well as several booths from different OPD departments that provide interesting information and activities for those who attend.
Displays from the Hazardous Devices Unit, the K-9 Unit, the Evidence Collection Unit and the Emergency Response Unit will be included in Saturday’s event. For younger visitors, child I.D. kits will be available, along with games and other activities. OPD will also offer guided tours of their facility.
OPD D.A.R.E. Officer and Crime Prevention Unit supervisor Salvador Castro said K-9 demonstrations will be offered, as well as an introduction to the robot OPD uses in potential bomb threat situations, which are fun events for the children who attend.
“There’s also our OPD Bike Unit, and they have a bike course for the kids,” Castro said. “The bikes come in different sizes for all the kids.”
Castro said the event is significant in that it gives OPD a chance to inform the public of everything they do, and how each specialty unit operates.
“It makes people aware of what we have to offer,” Castro said. “All of the stations are manned with different officers from each department.”
Local businesses are helping out with the event as well. Rally’s will be donating burgers and hot dogs and Pepsi and Lays will be donating drinks and chips. Clean Green Porta Potties offered OPD free restroom facilities to use for the event.
“We rely on their contributions, and we’re grateful that they get to help us,” Castro said.
Other local organizations that will provide display tents include New Beginnings Shelter, American Red Cross and The Children’s Advocacy Center. Recruitment tents from the US Air Force, United States Marine Corps, Army National Guard and the U.S. Army will be set up in the back parking lot as well.
As an additional service to the community, there will be a manned prescription drug toss location onsite during the event for any unwanted/expired prescription medications. Needles and liquids cannot be accepted.
A costume contest will be held during the Run from the Cops 5K, so OPD encourages runners and attendees to dress up in their best cop or robber costume for a chance to win prizes.
