With the reinstatement of Community Oriented Policing in the Lima region several years ago, the Lima Police Department has hit the ground running.
With the creation of several community substations, school resource officers, and community based programs, relationships with residents have improved. C.O.P. officers say they have really enjoyed making connections in the neighborhood and getting to know the students one on one. The C.O.P. program has really made a difference in bringing neighborhoods together and has made a change in the way officers approach their duties.
"This allows us to slow down, listen to the problems, and then address the problems in which the community's having, and just not address it for that ten seconds to ten minutes that we're there, but over an extended period of time," said Justin Wireman, Lima C.O.P. Officer.
Wireman wants to invite the public out to some upcoming events. A special Thursday edition of Coffee with a Cop will be February 1, 2018 at Our Daily Bread Soup Kitchen starting at 9 a.m. Then that evening Lima police officers will be taking on the Allen County Sharks in a basketball game. The sharks are this year's Special Olympics champions. The game will be at 6 p.m. at Lima South Middle School. Then on Saturday, February 3, 2018 there will be a pancake breakfast at Bradfield Community Center at 9 a.m. All these events are free and the public is invited to attend.
