The global health pandemic has caused a lot of heartbreak, loss, and uncertainty in recent months, but there are countless stories of people, organizations, and communities coming together to find silver linings in this crisis. The Texarkana Texas Police Department is one such organization, coming up with creative ways to reach out to their community, and showing us that their heroes do more than carry a badge and enforce the law.

Police Chief Kevin Schutte explains TTPD’s latest project: “I was sitting at home on a Saturday afternoon just browsing the internet when I came across a YouTube video of a patrol officer from some department up north,” he said. “His wife had called him and said she was having trouble getting their son to go to sleep while he worked a graveyard shift. The officer did a Facebook live video while reading a book to his son from his patrol car.”

Chief Schutte liked the idea. “I thought that was the neatest thing and even said, out loud, ‘That’s it! What a great way to connect with the kids of the community!’ Ideas came rushing in. The name ‘Story Time at the Station’ was the very first thought that came to my mind, and I kind of fashioned the program from there. Lots of police departments were doing birthday parades and other things, but nobody was doing anything remotely like ‘Story Time at the Station,’” Chief Schutte said.

Luckily for Texarkana, Chief Schutte had just the man needed for the job. “I immediately called the department’s Public Information and Social Media Manager, Shawn Vaughn, told him of my idea and that I would like to do this every Monday morning, and I wanted us to start it right away. Shawn really liked the idea as well, and agreed to meet me at the station to record the first installment the very next day,” Chief Schutte said.

“So, we met at the police station on Sunday afternoon and filmed the first ever episode of ‘Story Time at the Station.’ We don’t have fancy production equipment, but through the use of a cell phone and very basic editing software, the program began, albeit in a primitive way,” said Chief Schutte. “That introductory production of ‘Story Time at the Station’ was an instant hit. It had been viewed over 10,000 times by the end of that first Monday, and the positive comments and feedback were confirmation that the community loved what we were doing.”

The Texarkana Texas Police Department has participated in and created many programs with similar intentions in the past. A few years ago the department hosted “Coffee with a Cop,” which was aimed at law enforcement officers making themselves available to chat and listen to local residents monthly. The department participates largely in National Night Out each year, and attends special events with various neighborhood associations. The police department regularly makes visits to schools, birthday parties, hosts community groups, and tours of their facilities. TTPD also hosts a Policing Experience community education program three times a year that aims to allow residents to understand the inner workings of the department and a law enforcement officers’ job. “Story Time at the Station” is the newest program like these, and no doubt will make a significant impact on the way many young children view police officers, impacting their lives and improving our community.

Chief Schutte agrees that initiatives like these are vital to the success of the department. “As the Chief of Police, one of my first priorities is to build positive, lasting relationships throughout the Texarkana community,” Chief Schutte said. “We are working hard to do that in many ways. So many things you see in the media today about police officers tends to have a negative slant. This program fits in nicely with the ‘core values’ of the men and women of the Texarkana Texas Police Department and allows members of the community to see the true compassion the officers of the police department have for serving this city. One citizen told me that as we continue to interact with the community in these unique ways, it is giving our department a genuine personality of kindness that helps to endear the community to our officers.”

Texarkana Texas Police Department has gained a reputation just like that in recent years, building a positive social media presence, providing leadership and guidance in times of uncertainty, and becoming a respected law enforcement agency in the region. Chief Schutte said he intends for “Story Time at the Station” to go on for a long time, citing no shortage of officers willing to participate.

“We have almost 100 officers at the department, and if everyone read a book, it would take us two years to make it through,” he said. “The officers have embraced this program with the same level of enthusiasm as the community. Many officers have already filmed their book reading, and their readings are in the que for future weeks and others are waiting their turn to be recorded. Most of the officers are parents and are bringing their favorite children’s book that they read to their children. The response internally has been tremendous!”

Chief Schutte recognizes that the department is fighting a stereotype frequently assigned to law enforcement officers, and “Story Time at the Station” is a good way to combat it. “I cannot thank the men and women of our department enough for their ‘heart,’” he said. “Unfortunately, there is a stereotypical stigma about police officers, and as it relates to the Texarkana Texas Police Department, it is extremely inaccurate. The Texarkana Texas Police Department is truly made up of men and women who are selfless servants who are some of the most kind and compassionate people I know! Oh, they’re well trained, competent, and they perform their jobs well, but they balance what they do through a filter of compassion and humanity that is amazing.”

Chief Schutte gives credit to the team of men and women at the Texarkana Texas Police Department who are making “Story Time at the Station” and all of the department’s other initiatives successful. “I want to say a special word of thanks to the officers participating in ‘Story Time at the Station’ and give a BIG thank you to Shawn Vaughn for always finding a way to take my unique ideas and turn them into reality,” said Chief Schutte. “I also want to thank the Texarkana community for its continued strong support of the Texarkana Texas Police Department. While we are definitely human and far from infallible, our mistakes are made while trying to do the right thing in all circumstances. We are here for this community, we are professional, we are approachable, and we are YOUR Texarkana Texas Police Department!”

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