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Several families participated in the Fishing with the Police event on Saturday, May 8. Cottonwood Shores Police Department hosted the event; the Cottonwood Shores Volunteer Fire Department also took part. Nathan Hendrix/The Highlander -
Cottonwood Shores Police Chief Johnny Liendo was an active participant at the Fishing with the Police event at LBJ Yacht Club and Marina on Saturday. He helped seven-year-old Hunter Ratliff hunt for fish at the dock. Nathan Hendrix/The Highlander hief Johnny Liendo was an -
Zarina Ratliff, 2, caught the first fish of the day – a 7.15 pound catfish. Her father Kenneth Ratliff helped her secure the catch. Nathan Hendrix/The Highlander
The Cottonwood Shores Police Department cast a new annual event to encourage police interaction as part of the agency’s community policing initiative.
Families lined the docks at LBJ Yacht Club and Marina on Saturday, May 8 for the CSPD’s Fishing with the Police event.
“We’re just bringing the community together,” Police Chief Johnny Liendo said. “All of our officers are here. The community needs to know who their police officers are.”
He explained that the fishing event was the first iteration of a planned annual activity, and he intends to continue growing the neighborhood interaction with similar gatherings.
“[The officers] have been looking forward to this,” Liendo said. “We’re also doing food deliveries. We have people here who need food. We’re trying to let the kids have a good time and feed families.”
Community policing is a law enforcement strategy that focuses on building relationships with citizens. It aims for officers to be proactive, rather than reactive, and encourages high levels of participation from residents.
“It’s not a new concept; it’s used across the United States, and it gets results,” Liendo said. “We need to know our community in order to better protect and serve.”
Liendo started the movement within CSPD due to the recent national conversation about law enforcement.
“This is not a good time to be a police officer,” he said. “Officers are retiring early; no one wants to be a police officer anymore. Everything we do is under the eye of an attorney, but the body cams are our best friends right now.”
He said he has ordered eight new body cameras for the department and two new vehicles. The department staffing has doubled under his leadership – going from three officers to six full-time and two reserves.
CWPD has not faced the scrutiny and removal of funding that other departments across the nation are experiencing; Liendo said the Cottonwood Shores City Council is to thank for that.
“They’ve been really supportive of my efforts for the last four to five years,” he said. “I’ve been able to raise salaries other the years. They’re still low, but population is growing so we’ll need to have more.”
He said the citizens have been supportive as well.
“The people are really united and come forward with the information we need to solve crimes in town,” he said. “Crime is down. We have an influx of people coming in, so we’re getting ready to keep up with the growth.
“It’s all getting better and looking up,” he added. “The community has been supportive, so that’s why we’re giving back.”