Captain Douglas Murphy of the Paris (Texas) Police Department (PTPD) enjoyed a delightful new experience in the department’s SWAT team MRAP (Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected) vehicle last July.

As can be seen in the photo of him with local children at the department’s inaugural “Unity with the Community” event in July 2023, he had a great time interacting with the kids and answering their many questions.

Murphy was one of several members of the PTPD department who came out to meet and greet community members at Unity with the Community. Held on the police department’s grounds, the event was much like a county fair, with a variety of food stands, games, vendors, and information booths staffed by health care and other service providers.

According to Kimmie Snowton, the coordinator of the PTPD’s Community Outreach Unit, which developed and managed this special gathering of residents and officers, it was a great success—fun not only for the community, but for the PTPD officers and other first responders from the fire department and Emergency Medical Services who also came out to support the event.

Said Snowton, “My role with the police department is to build trust through outreach events and to offer Paris citizens a chance to get to know their first responders in nontraditional ways. I feel like we built some bridges that day, and we plan to make it an annual event.”

Added PTPD Chief Richard Salter, Jr., “By creating the Community Outreach Coordinator position, we knew the key to success would be to find the right person to fill the role and we hit a homerun with Mr. Kimmie Snowton.

“One of our primary goals is to change hearts and minds through relationship building. We want residents of all ages to know that we are here to help and protect them and their families, so that they will feel safe coming to us when needed. Events like this allow us to engage informally to open the lines of communication, build community trust, and get citizen input. We build trust one person at a time,” Salter added.

Unity with the Community and Friendly Conversations with Cops

Unity with the Community is just one of many events and programs the Police Department sponsors to build positive relationships with local people. The most frequent are PTPD’s monthly Coffee-Cokes-Cookies-with-Cops get togethers, which are held at shops and restaurants throughout Paris. There’s also a Pizza-and-Popsicles-with-a-Cop meet-up, in which officers go out to interact with families and hand out popsicles and pizza to the kids.

One of the PTPD’s most popular youth-focused programs is the annual Blue Santa event. Throughout the year, department employees contribute money to a fund which is used provide gifts to families in need during the December holidays. After consulting with parents, staff members purchase the gifts, wrap them, then arrange for pick up. Last year, the department was able to provide gifts to 48 children from 18 families.

In the Spring, the PTPD’s annual “Hops with a Cop event,” cohosted by the City of Paris Recreation Department, delights young and old with live music, a guest appearance by the Easter Bunny, a bounce house, and snow cones. In June 2024, PTPD’s Coppers and Bobbers will take local kids fishing in a big town pond stocked with catfish. Local merchants often support these events by donating funds, food, or gifts.

Community Outreach to Support Safety and Security for All

The elderly and other vulnerable residents of Paris are another special focus for the PTPD’s Community Outreach Unit. The unit visits assisted living communities to give informal talks about physical safety and to help them avoid scams that prey upon senior citizens.

Other programs include crime prevention presentations to the Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs and local church groups through the Faith & Blue initiative, which connects local faith-based organizations and businesses and community groups with law enforcement in solutions-focused activities.

“We want everybody in our Paris community to know they are safe and cared for, and these programs, and the conversations that start through them, go a long way to support this,” said Snowton.

In describing Paris, Texas, which has a population of approximately 25,000, Snowton added, “It’s a community where people get along and treat each other respectfully. I’ve worked in a couple of big cities and see a lot more consideration for others since I’ve been here. It has a small-town feeling.”

A 65 Foot Lighted Eiffel Tower is a Source of Town Pride

However, the population of this small town, which is the county seat of Lamar County, increases significantly during the work week, as most county residents work in Paris, and neighbors from outlying communities come in to shop and enjoy local events.

Many others visit Paris to see the city’s 65-foot lighted Eiffel Tower, which was erected to celebrate the city’s naming after the French capital and topped by a huge red ten-gallon cowboy hat to emphasize its place in Texas.

Though nobody knows for sure why this Texas town was named after Paris, France, the most popular guess is that it was named in 1845 by an employee of the town's founder, George W. Wright, who wanted to honor his own French ancestry. 

According to Snowton, the town is proud of its unusual name, which is symbolized by its Eiffel Tower and the city’s slogan: Where Texas Reaches Higher. And, the Paris Texas Police Department is equally proud to serve this special community.

“We want to continually build new relationships here and make positive impacts on people’s lives every chance we get to improve the quality of life for all of our citizens and visitors,” he said.

Faye C. Elkins
Sr. Technical Writer
COPS Office

Article Contributions and Images Courtesy of Paris (Texas) Police Department.

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