Waco PD on the BEAT

Officer Whitney Otting has grown up at the Police Department, following in her dad's footsteps she became a dispatcher and then began her officer career in 2015. Since then, she's been a patrol officer and has taken on as the Officer Liaison for the Special Olympics Central Texas. She handles many community events like Tip A Cop, Polar Plunge and so much more to raise money in our community. Officer Otting is one of the many that we are proud to have at Waco PD. 

Officer Joe Arnold from the Training Unit joins us to talk about what it's like training new recruits at Waco PD, keeping our current officers up to date on skills and teaching many others in the community what it's like to be a police officer. The Training Unit is an essential piece of the puzzle and without them our officers wouldn't have the skill and knowledge they do to serve and protect our community. 

A Catalytic Converter is a car part that helps filter air from your engine. A very important car part that is valuable to criminals because of the metals that are inside the converter. Thefts of these items have increased in Waco over the last month even though a new law has passed to help reduce these thefts. Detective Robbie James explains more on how you can prevent yours from being stolen. 

Join us on Saturday February 19th for our first Crime Prevention Summit! In this episode we're highlighting a few of the vendors that will be in attendance and what you can expect when it comes to preventing crime in your neighborhood. We want to help keep your home, self and business safe so we hope you come join us at Knox Hall from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

The Traffic Unit is one that may not be loved by many, however the officers in this unit are here to keep their community safe. Officer Garen Bynum is here to talk about what it's like working as a Traffic officer and why this job is so important to them, the department and ultimately the community. 

Officer Johnson has worked for the Waco Police Department for four years, with his goals set on being an NFL Football player at a young age, plans changed after a football injury and he began his police officer journey. Now he works in the new Neighborhood Engagement Team at the department. He's excited to hit the streets in a new way creating a safer environment in our Waco neighborhoods. 

Gun related crime has continued to rise in the City of Waco over the last several years. As the department continues to see an increase we worry that innocent lives could be lost due to the reckless act. Assistant Chief Frank Gentsch sits down to discuss the harm that is being done to the community and what the Waco Police Department is doing to change the increasing gun crimes in Waco. 

This is our Decemeber Crime Stats episode where we saw an increase in theft for the month of December. A lot of that could have been due to the holiday season but theft increased 15% overall for the year of 2021. Detective James Head from the Criminal Investigation Division breaks down the numbers and how to keep your property from being stolen. 

Sergeant Timothy Barrett has been at the Waco Police Department for 7 years and recently promoted to Sergeant for over a group of officers in the Patrol Unit. He works hard to keep our officers and his community safe from harm. This is his story!