William Smith
Community Editor
Community policing is often just about being there.
That’s what Burlington Police Sgt. Chad Zahn has learned during his 28-year tenure with the Burlington Police Department. He’s one of the department’s more visible officers, often stationed at community events when he's not the shift sergeant or responding to a call.
So, it only made sense for Burlington Police Chief Marc Denney to tap Zahn for the recently created Community Engagement Unit (CEU).
“It’s a community policing unit,” Zahn said. “We won’t be focusing so much on enforcement, as we will on establishing a rapport with the community. This is a vision from the chief. He really encourages the officers to become more involved in the community.”
Zahn is the only member of the unit, but the events and outings he organizes will involve officers from throughout the department. He would like some of the newer Burlington Police faces to be as recognizable as his.
One of the first outings Zahn is organizing is Coffee with a Cop. He’s hoping to host the first iteration of the outing in early May, and it will be just like the title describes, which is a chance to get to know Burlington Police officers over a cup of coffee. He’s already in contact with four local businesses that want to help and provide a venue.
“No agenda. No speeches. Just an opportunity for the community to get to know their officers,” Zahn said.
It sounds simple but establishing that kind of connection fosters trust in the police department, which aids with enforcement later.
“A lot of people are hesitant to just walk up to an officer and start a conversation, but that’s what we want,” Zahn said. “The community has more eyes than we do. If somebody sees something, we want them to tell us.”
Zahn has plans beyond the Coffee with a Cop program and is now in charge of the National Night Out event. The police-oriented festival, which was relaunched by the Burlington Police Department last year, consists of live entertainment, vendors, games, prizes, refreshments, and, of course, plenty of emergency vehicles.
But that’s just a start. The CEU will collaborate with community groups, department members, and other community resources to identify and solve public safety problems within the community and will develop patrol deployment plans that will allow officers to partake in problem-solving activities in conjunction with citizens.
The CEU will also collaborate with the School Resource Program, Problem-Oriented Policing Unit, K-9 program, and other specialty programs, such as Neighborhood Watch, Crime Stoppers, and the Citizen's Police Academy.
“I think this will evolve as we go on,” Zahn said. “We would like to have officers out cooking hot dogs and hamburgers for the community. We have quite a list.”
A native of Canton, Mo., Zahn started his job with the Burlington Police Department in 1994. It had been his dream job since grade school.
It still is.
“I wanted to become a police officer for the excitement,” Zahn said.
While he found plenty of that, Zahn found something he didn’t know he was looking for, a pivotal role in a small community. In December of last year, Burlington Police Department’s B Squad, which consists of Sgt. Chad Zahn and officers Tim Merryman, Bailey Jo, Lucas Peterson, Rodney Fogle, Troy Owen, and Brennan Daniel, bought a brand-new bicycle for a FunCity worker who had been walking to work because his bike was stolen.
“I want to bring about positive interactions and show people that we are part of the community, too,” Zahn said.
For upcoming events hosted by the CEU, check the Burlington Police Department Facebook page.