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ST. CHARLES, MO – Scores of people swarmed the St. Charles city police department. They wanted to learn more about policing first hand. St. Charles Police Chief Randy McKinley said, “I hope we make some good relations today.”

The chief said St. Charles police already have strong support from the community; he hoped the annual open house builds on that. Chief McKinley said, “I hope they leave here today and feel really good about the police department and better about police officers in general.”

There was plenty for folks to see, the police helicopter came in for a landing, mounted patrol showed up and the swat team was on hand. Sue Schutz attended the event, “Great community building lets us build a relationship with the people of St. Charles.”

The history of the department was on display. It honors the men who died in the line of duty and people could see equipment used over the years, like an old fingerprint kit and speed gun.

K-9 Officer Dan Allen said, “A police dog is not mean, it’s trained to do things on command otherwise it’s very social.”

One of the highlights of the event was K-9 officer Dan Allen and his dog Nitro. He demonstrated to people just how talented the animal is. Allen said, “He’s trained in narcotics, suspect apprehension, officer protection area searches, building searches, and tracking and trailing.”

People learned more about illegal drugs and what they look like. For youngsters, a balloon artist and a face painter were on hand. St. Charles Police Lt. Tom Wilkison said, “If they are in trouble and they see a police officer we want them to feel comfortable and safe and come up to any police officer and say they need help.”

As the chief said it’s all about building strong relationships with the young and the old.

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