Focus on community outreach helps citizens, BPD, chief says
Bartlesville Police Department officers have been “caught in the act” numerous times lately — their faces splashed across social media, City Beat,
Officer Sierra Compton helps a Bartlesville resident mow his lawn.
and the six o’clock news — not for wrongdoing, but rather performing random acts of kindness.
BPD has drawn attention lately with reports of officers who have gone out of their way to help people, including Officer Sierra Compton, who was recently elevated to local fame after a Facebook post showed her mowing the lawn for an elderly man. Compton took over the domestic duty after she saw the Bartlesville resident attempting to mow with one hand while operating his walker with the other.
“Bartlesville police officers exemplify what law enforcement should be doing in every community,” said Police Chief Tracy Roles. “They are not only good officers but some of the very best people I have had the pleasure of knowing. I am proud of the work the work they do, and that includes the efforts they make in building relationships with the people in our community.”
Community policing, or the practice of law enforcement using relationship-building with the public to help garner trust within the community, isn’t exactly a new idea. The strategy, if not the term, has been around for a couple of centuries and was especially useful prior to the invention of modern transportation and technology, when cooperation between the two was a key component in solving crimes.
It’s a concept Roles brought to the department when he took over as chief of the department in 2018. Under his leadership, the department has held numerous town hall and other community meetings, collaborated with local non-profits and other agencies on community outreach projects, helped promote diversity and inclusion, and encouraged one-on-one and small-group engagement between officers and citizens.
Officer Jim Lay cools off with a lemonade at Bentley Elkins’ stand.
“I have always believed officers should have strong and positive involvement within the community they serve,” Roles said. “By doing this we earn the trust of our citizens. For a police agency to be successful in its mission, the agency must have the trust of those it serves. The trust that is earned will lead to legitimacy within the agency.”
And that trust-earning starts at the top, Roles says.
“Leaders must be willing to ‘walk the talk.’ If leadership is not willing to be involved, then it would be hypocritical for us to expect anything more from our officers,” he said. “We have gotten to where we are today by communicating our desire for everyone to engage in the community, with the department’s leadership leading the way. Our staff knows this is important and so many have been willing to get on board due to their desire to be more involved.”
Role’s philosophy is simple: “Treating everyone with unconditional respect is the driving philosophy,” he said.
“I feel it’s important for law enforcement to do a better job of connecting with the community in as many positive ways as possible. We have to do a better job of ‘telling our story.’ Police officers do so many great things that go unnoticed, and transparency is always the best practice. We have to be open to those we serve in all aspects. At the end of the day, we work for our citizens, and to be successful we must be willing to adjust to the overall needs of our community.”
Roles says the efforts have been just as rewarding for the officers as it has for the citizens they help.
“Being a guardian servant is more than just answering calls for service,” he said. “Officers who actively involve themselves with our citizens are more fulfilled, more trusted, more believable and are better informed. These things make them more aware of what the issues in our community are so that we can keep those issues from becoming problems that other cities experience.”
In addition to the initiatives implemented since Roles’ arrival in Bartlesville, the department offers a Ride Along program and a Citizens Police Academy to help give citizens an inside look at what BPD officers do. BPD also participates in the Washington County Community Council and
Officer Luke Reeves helps a stranded motorist.
maintains a significant presence on social media, publishing traffic/event updates and featuring “employee spotlights.”
“These spotlights highlight a selected employee and give the public more insight into the person behind the job, behind the badge,” Roles says. “This is great for our community and also for our officers.”
Other public forums aimed at community engagement include self defense for women and traffic stop awareness forums and the wildly popular MILO Day event and K9 demonstrations.
“We have never turned down an invitation to come speak at an event or meeting,” Roles said.
Future projects on tap for BPD include the creation of a Citizens Youth Police Academy for 13-18 year olds in the near future, Roles said.
“We all have to do better with connecting with our youth and building more positive and lasting relationships with them,” he said. “This will start that trusting process at a much younger age, which will only serve to help us all in the future. A Citizens Youth Police Academy is another way we can forge those relationships and have a lasting, positive impact on our youth.”
Even with these projects under their belt, BPD staff and leadership continue to strive for more — more open dialogue, more transparency, and more opportunities to educate.
“Community involvement and engagement is an ongoing and continuous process,” Roles said. “We are always thinking of ways we can do better for our community. The City of Bartlesville deserves the best. That is what we are striving for — to be the best police department in the state, to set the example for other departments to follow. We believe we can do this best by continuing to make our citizens, and our relationships with them, one of our very top priorities.”
BPD will host a town hall meeting at 7 p.m. July 29 at City Hall, 401 S. Johnstone Ave. Everyone is welcome to attend and ask questions pertaining to any policing matter. Email questions to tdroles@cityofbartlesville.org or contact the police department at 918.338.4050.
For more information about the Bartlesville Police Department, see BPD Annual Report.
Photos, clockwise from top left: Officer Sierra Compton helps a Bartlesville resident mow his lawn; Officer Jim Lay cools off with a lemonade at Bentley Elkins’ stand; Officer Luke Reeves helps a stranded motorist; Cpl. Jessica Pitts stops for a quick pic with some Bartlesville residents; A young citizen gives Officer Steven Letterman a high five after receiving an “official citation,” worth a Sonic ice cream; Cpl. Brad Dunkle presents an official citation, aka ice cream voucher, to a Bartlesville resident; E-911 Dispatcher Hannah Harbour-Secondine participates in the Delaware Family Tribe Family and Children Services Community Fair in April; Officer Billy McCall spends with some time with BPD supporters at First Responder Night, held at Bartlesville Kiddie Park in June; Cpl. Brandon Meyer plays a game of Four Square with some pros at the Boys & Girls Club.
Cpl. Brandon Meyer plays a game of Four Square with some pros at the Boys & Girls Club.
Officer Steven Letterman a high five after receiving an “official citation,” worth a Sonic ice cream.
Officer Billy McCall spends with some time with BPD supporters at First Responder Night, held at Bartlesville Kiddie Park in June.
E-911 Dispatcher Hannah Harbour-Secondine participates in the Delaware Family Tribe Family and Children Services Community Fair in April.