Photo courtesy of the Arlington Police Department
Arlington residents can enjoy a meal cooked by Arlington Police Department officers and personnel at its last Cooking With Cops event for the year.
The final 2026 event for the annual series, created to connect with people after the COVID-19 pandemic, will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the Richard Simpson Park near Lake Arlington.
Tim Ciesco, media relations coordinator for the Arlington Police Department, said the events started in 2021 as a way to reach out to the community.
“Our officers over at our West District came up with this concept, ‘What if we just did a community cookout with them?’ So we’re like, ‘Oh, that’s a cool idea,’ not knowing exactly what it would look like,” Ciesco said.
He said the first event was so successful that they had to go back to the grocery store to buy more food because they underestimated the turnout. They did it again the following year, only this time there were four events, each on a different side of town, which has continued every year after.
“The idea is our officers come out, grill usually hot dogs and hamburgers. We have volunteers come and we bring other snacks, as well, and drinks,” Ciesco said. “It’s an opportunity for the community to come by, get some free food, get to interact with some of our officers.”
He said events like these give residents the opportunity to talk with cops outside of emergencies, when they’re having a good day rather than a bad one.
“That helps to build trust and build legitimacy in what we’re doing,” Ciesco said.
He said residents can expect special units to come out and demonstrate what they do. The SWAT team will be there with their vehicles, which children will be allowed to go inside and see, and will discuss their jobs.
The Uncrewed Aircraft Systems team will be there as well, Ciesco said, flying some of their drones and talking to members of the public on how those are used. In the past, the event has also included the K-9 unit, he said.
“We try to make it pretty interactive, so that folks can see and learn more about some of the different things that we do as a police department,” Ciesco said.
@atclements03