The COPS Office is pleased to feature the Ashland (Ohio) Police Division as a winner of the 2025 Community Policing in Action Photo Contest.

As can be seen in this month’s winning photo, it was a lovely sunny day when Ashland (Ohio) Police Division (APD) Officer Chelsie Betancourt noticed the little girl sitting alone at the Ashland Police Recreation Club’s lake behind the Division's headquarters at the annual APD fishing derby.

Said Betancourt, “She looked like she was having a good time angling for a catch and I thought how nice it would be to join her. So I walked over and told her my name, and we had a friendly conversation, a lot of it about fishing.

“It was my first time at the fishing derby and so cool to see everybody get together. I love community policing, and getting together with the people, especially with the kids. Some of them think cops are bad, and it’s great to get out there and show we’re human.”

Added Detective Lieutenant Curt Dorsey, “There were a little more than 100 people there, about 75 kids and their families on the three-acre lake. We gave out a first-place prize, a new bicycle, as well as trophies and small prizes in the adjacent pavilion.”

A Special Commitment to Local Youth

“Kids from all over our community are excited to fish and hang out with police. We run into some of them again when we’re on calls and they remember us and know we’re there to help.”

One of several community outreach events focused on children, the fishing derby reflected not only the APD’s commitment to positive relations with the community, but its special focus on creating relationships with the county’s young people. The Division, which employs 32 sworn personnel and serves approximately 20,000 residents in this northeastern Ohio city, hosts a variety of other youth-oriented activities as well.

Among them is the Ashland Police R.O.C.K. initiative, which stands for Reach Out Cops and Kids. Started by a retired detective who wanted to encourage children to participate in community service, it was created for young people up to age 17 who are nominated by a family member, teacher, pastor, coach, or neighbor for going above and beyond in the local community.

Once a child is recommended, a group of officers and detectives decides on a winner and notifies the parents. This group, which includes Lt. Dorsey and Detective Kara Pearce, makes a surprise trip to the child’s home, where they praise the child for their leadership and commend them for a job well done.

After encouraging the child to keep up the great work, a member of the group presents them with a R.O.C.K. backpack full of Ashland swag donated by community leaders and large “R.O.C.K.” signs for their front yard. Their family is given a season pass for the city’s swimming pool.

Stop the Bullying and Shop with a Cop

The R.O.C.K. initiative also includes a "Stop the Bully" program in which youth sign an anti-bullying contract, promising to help stop online or offline harassment and inform an adult if they see it.

Another popular program is the APD’s December Shop with a Cop event, which is funded by contributions from law enforcement personnel and community members such as the Lemonade Littles, girls and boys who raised almost $2,000 to donate to this holiday program last year.

According to Detective Pearce, 300 children participated last year, and 400 the year before. Paired with a first responder—law enforcement, firefighter, or EMT—they meet Santa Claus at a local big box store and go shopping. Each child gets a $160 gift card to spend however they wish, with instructions to donate $10 of it to the purchase of an item they will give to the Ashland Fire Department’s Holiday Toy Drive. The store treats the children to snacks and punch.

“We raise money for this as well as a lot of the activities that R.O.C.K encompasses,” said Pearce, “and for other efforts too, such as a recent fundraiser for a family whose house was damaged by fire.”

The APD also partners with the Ashland County Juvenile Court on the Life Skills program, which is designed to help young people involved in the criminal justice system learn practical job skills while earning the community service hours required by the terms of their probation.

The Life Skills Program for At Risk Youth

Among the activities the Life Skills youth engaged in last year was a landscaping project at the Division’s headquarters, where they learned how to run a backhoe and other equipment, plant gardens, build flower boxes with power tools, and other landscaping skills. Another project took the teenagers to the Ashland City garage, where they rotated tires, changed oil, and learned how to maintain various city vehicles.

According to Pearce, most of the kids were very enthusiastic about the program, feeling proud about the skills they learned. One girl, who loved working with the heavy equipment, said she wanted to work with machines like that as a career.

Commenting on this and other programs, Chief David Lay said, “Every interaction we have with young people provides an opportunity for them to see that we are here not to be an authority figure, but providers of public safety and service to them and their families.

“We are fortunate to enjoy a lot of community support and believe that it is because of these activities with local youth as well as adults. We’ve been doing it for years, and when these kids grow up, they know and trust us.

“But Community Policing is a part of everything we do. Because we all have to work together to keep Ashland safe.”

Photo courtesy of the Ashland (Ohio) Police Division.

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