Bartlesville Radio: The area’s best source for news, weather and sports!

A new podcast is getting closer to launching in Bartlesville and it is aimed at keeping the public in touch with the city's law enforcers.

The name of the podcast is called “Behind the Badge,” and it will be a platform for the Bartlesville Police Department to address the public through Facebook and Instagram. Sgt. Daniel Elkins explained that the medium will help them talk to you about issues surrounding the police department, new laws that may affect the police department as they arise, and much more. He said they plan on having a long list of speakers, too, such as police officers, school resource officers, and state officials.

The podcast will also be used to highlight the good work a police officer or K9 officer in Bartlesville has done. Sgt. Elkins said they want to show you the direction the BPD is heading in on the local, state and federal level. He said the BPD recognizes that social media is a platform in which they can communicate with you, and they do not want the opportunity to pass them by.

The "Behind the Badge" podcast matches well with Chief Tracy Roles' vision for the police department. Sgt. Elkins said that vision is to provide a safe community for you while meeting you where you are.

No date has been set as to when the podcast will officially launch. Sgt. Elkins said they are cops full-time, and that they still have a few kinks to work out before they can officially release the podcast to the public. He said they have to work out whether or not they are going to go live, or if they are going to spend time editing their podcast before they release a new episode to the public.

The Bartlesville Police Department already has Facebook and Instagram accounts with a huge following. Sgt. Elkins said they do not quite yet know if they are going to extend those accounts with the "Behind the Badge" podcast, or if they are going to create new accounts with the name of the podcast as the name for the social media accounts.

Once something is on social media, Sgt. Elkins said you own it. He said if something negative is posted, you can feel the repercussions of it. The same goes for posts that might be controversial in the eyes of a few. But it can also be good knowing that it can be a platform to communicate ideas and topics with an audience that needs to know the truth.

It is a double-edged sword, but Sgt. Elkins said the BPD has nothing to hide. He said the police department wants to show that truth to the public.