The inaugural episode of Bartlesville Chief Chat airs on KWON AM 1400, FM 93.3 and 95.1 FM.

Bartlesville Police Chief Tracy Roles says he is excited to hear what the citizens have to say and answer any questions they may have through the new program. Roles says his hope is that the program is not just a 15 minute block of seriousness. He says he will talk about eating donuts and why that is important to cops, and some of the other shenanigans that go on within policing that people may not know about that show that they are human.

Chief Roles says their job is serious; they will always take their work seriously. He says there are times where they get to be humans as well, as they have families, kids, significant others; there is a human side to law enforcement, and Chief Roles hopes the program allows the citizens to see that side of police officers.

Before coming to Bartlesville in October 2018, Chief Roles spent 11 years in law enforcement in Colorado. Chief Roles says he drew inspiration for the show from a friend of his at his previous job out west who is a police chief that is doing something similar in the Centennial State. He says his friend wanted to expand the footprint of the police department in northern Colorado, so he facilitated the Chief Chat idea in order to get more about the police department into the minds and ears of their citizens by partnering with their local radio station.

The citizens in that area of Colorado loved the program and wanted more. Chief Roles says his friend told him that the only negative feedback they received was that the program only aired once a month. He says those citizens wanted to hear more from his friend's police department because of how entertaining and engaging it was for them.

Seeing the success of the program, Chief Roles started questioning if it would be something we could do here in Bartlesville. Chief Roles says the concept of creating another avenue/platform for Bartlesville's citizens to know more about what is going on with their police department was very appealing to him. He says that is when he reached out to Bartlesville Radio about the program in recent months to create the program.

Chief Roles believes there is one thing that law enforcement across the nation fails to do, and that is communicating with the citizens in which they serve. Chief Roles says police departments tend to only give out information that they are required to provide, which he thinks is a failure. He believes police departments owe the citizens they serve – the citizens who pay taxes that supply police officers and public safety – more open and transparent about things the citizens need to know.

If the public has a want to know, Chief Roles believes the BPD needs to have programs and opportunities such as Bartlesville Chief Chat to give them what they need and want.

A questions was submitted via telephone prior to Wednesday's show. Another was submitted during the Facebook Live portion of the show. Below is the questions followed by Chief Roles' response:

----------

Q: "As a new arrival in Bartlesville - and coming through the citizen's police academy, what have you learned from your predecessors both positive and negative?"

A: "First of all, the Citizen's Police Academy is something I would encourage anyone who has the time and desire to take part in to do so, because it is a great look on the inside of policing. We have a police academy starting on Thursday night with 25 people in it. We're excited to get to provide that service."

"I'm not from Bartlesville. I think I was in Bartlesville twice umpiring college baseball before I took the job here, but I always knew Bartlesville to be a great community. I didn't know the depth of [Bartlesville's] greatness until I got here. The people are very supportive and accommodating because they care about the community and what the town looks like, so I was very relieved when I got here."

"I've learned so much about everything from people before me. I surround myself with people who are smarter and better than me, and then have the capability and willingness to stay out of their way and my own way. Tom Holland and Charlie Spencer led great police departments before I got here, but they policed in a different time. We have a different time in society that requires different things from its police officers. Those two guys and others certainly laid the foundation of where our police department is today, and I'm grateful. Chief Holland transitioned from an old police department to a brand new, state-of-the-art facility under his direction, and the police department is thankful for that."

"Kudos to the citizens, too, for giving us all that we have. When I stepped in, I was very welcomed by the community and by the police department. Sure there were some bumps in the road when I got here, but I was new. I didn't know anybody and no one knew me; they had no reason to trust me. It was up to me to build that trust and let them know that I have the best interest of the police department. I think we're starting to turn the corner."

Q: "Is there a police or sheriff's reserve? If so, how does on participate?"

A: "Yes, we have a very strong police reserve. For more details please visit our website at cityofbartlesville.org under the Bartlesville Police Reserves tab, or call 918.338.4050 and speak to Ray Raley."

----------

The next Bartlesville Chief Chat will air on Wednesday, March 16 on KWON. The show can also be viewed on the Bartlesville Radio Facebook page. Wednesday's episode of Bartlesville Chief Chat can be viewed below.

You can call in questions before each show at 918.336.1001. You can send questions to Chief Roles by sending an email to tdroles@cityofbartlesville.org, or you can send an email to Garrett Giles at garrett@bartlesvilleradio.com.