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Stroll Patrol Offers Exercise and Cop Company
By: Abbey Kay
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The Ohio University Police Department has teamed up with WellWorks to host Stroll Patrol, a gathering of Athens community members, faculty, students and law enforcement. The group meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays at noon, rain or shine, outside Bird Arena.
WellWorks is a wellness program for Ohio University faculty and staff.
OUPD Community Relations Officer John Stabler leads the group around campus for a 30-minute stroll of about 1.5 miles. He takes a different route every time and keeps the walkers engaged by playing trivia with the group. He and WellWorks also promote the health and wellness side of strolling by emphasizing exercise.
“Wellness is a big, important aspect for us,” he said. “We want to keep people healthy and get people into an environment where they can talk to us in a way to not feel intimidated by any interaction with law enforcement.”
Stabler created this event, and with Coffee with a Cop, as a way to improve relations between the department and the community.
Annie Laurie Cadmus, the Engagement and Marketing Coordinator for WellWorks, says students can take advantage of these gatherings to get comfortable talking with the law enforcement.
“I think it’s important for students to take on any new opportunities,” Cadmus said. “Here’s a chance to actually engage with people who are deeply connected to our community, who understand why our community functions the way it does, who have deep insights into what’s going in this area and who want to hear the insights of other people.”
As the weather gets warmer, Stabler says he hopes to see the turnout grow.