Arlington Eats: Cooking with Cops Community Cookout Event

Published on June 22, 2023

By Office of Communication

'The way to a person's heart is through their stomach,' an old saying that the Arlington Police Department is putting into practice to build a good relationship with the community. On this episode of Arlington Eats, host Cynthia Lemus, takes you to Vandergriff Park where hundreds of people showed up at the event "Cooking with Cops" to enjoy a free cookout.

“It’s a way that the police officers and the Arlington Police Department just can connect with the community.” Arlington East District Deputy Chief Kyrus Branch said. “Right now, more than never we need to build trust and legitimacy within the community and what better way to doing than by interacting with them.”

The event was very popular that officers had to make another grocery store run to buy more food. Officer Jamon Mathews, Deputy Chief Paul Rodriguez and Sergeant Chad Wong grilled hamburgers and hotdogs to give away, along with snacks and other refreshments.

This was the first of four Cooking with Cops the Police Department is planning for the following months. The next Cooking with Cops will be in the North District. It will be Thursday, July 6th from 6 pm to 9 pm at the Elm Grove Pavilion.