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The Bartlesville Police Department will hold a community meeting on Tuesday, June 21 at 7:00 p.m. at Tri County Tech, located at 6101 Nowata Road.

Chief Tracy Roles says the BPD's Command Staff used to hold two of these meetings a year, but they have discussed how they can approach these gatherings in a different way. Roles says they thought it might be best for the BPD's frontline supervisors and patrol officers to hear from the public firsthand. He says it is also a great way for citizens to put names with faces of those police officers who are doing the real police work every day.

All are encouraged to participate in this meeting. Chief Roles says they want to answer tough questions and hear your concerns. He says they want to be transparent with you.

The meetings will be held by patrol district so the patrol officers in those districts know when to attend. Chief Roles says this does not impact the public and who can attend. He says anyone can come, ask questions, and hear from the BPD.

One meeting will be held per month. Chief Roles says they want to be able to learn things that they might not know about. He says the BPD doesn't know everything, so these meetings are just as important for them when it comes to understanding what is happening in the community.

Community meetings act as an avenue for you to communicate with law enforcement and vice versa. Chief Roles says they spoke with citizens in May at the Westside Community Center. Roles says the covered everything from catalytic converter theft and prevention to the use of body warn cameras. He says communication is the key to these meetings.

Chief Roles says they might not hear what they want to hear in these meetings from you, but the BPD will take everything that they gather to improve for the community. Roles says they need to determine if they are doing what is right by those that they serve. He says the police department wouldn't exist without you.

If you are unable to attend, details for another community meeting are in the works. That meeting will take place sometime in downtown Bartlesville in July.