Our Citizens Academy is a program we use to let our community get to know a little bit more about the work we do in law enforcement. We hope that it helps give people a better appreciation for the complexity of the job we do. The academy is one night a week for 4 to 5 weeks. We cover topics ranging from traffic stops, DUI investigations, Use of Force, K9 and SWAT demonstrations, Crime Scene Investigation, and participants have a chance to use a scenario-based simulator.   We'll be trying to hold one academy during the fall and another during the late winter/ early spring.

You can download the application using the following link. If you are interested call 435-635-9663, ext. 106 or email Officer Dan Raddatz.

• Citizen Academy Application (PDF)

Hurricane Heroes is a program designed for 5 to 6 year olds that teaches kids about the dangers of strangers, drugs, peer pressure, home poisons, fire, etc. The Hurricane Police Department fully supports this important and informative program. Officer Friendly and P.C. are an important part of the curriculum. Officers also photograph and fingerprint participants as part of the Kid ID Program.

The Kids ID Program is a program sponsored by the Hurricane City Police Department to provide a photo ID card and fingerprint card of the children in our community to their parents. This program is to help parents prepare for the unthinkable. In times of crisis, difficulty in recalling critical identifying information regarding your child and obtaining a current photo is compounded by the stress of the situation. The goal of the Kids ID Program is to provide parents with the information law enforcement would need to locate and identify a missing child. Look for the Kids ID booth at such events as the Hurricane Valley Business Expo and local safety fairs.

The Neighborhood Watch Program is a nationally recognized program created to obtain citizen involvement in discouraging and preventing residential crime, securing their own homes and personal property, and reporting any suspicious activity to the police.

It was designed to encourage, citizens to be the eyes and ears of the Police Department without putting them in any personal danger or encourage vigilante actions. For more information regarding this program, please contact Officer Dan Raddatz at 435-635-9663, ext. 106.

SHOP WITH A COP EVENTS

Christmas Shop with a Cop

Each year First Responders from around Washington County team up to help underprivileged children in the area have a little brighter Christmas. Children ages 5 through 12 are selected for participation through the KONY Coins for Kids program. Officers from nearly every law enforcement and public safety agency in Washington County have volunteered to pair up with a child for the annual before-Christmas shopping event. Each child receives $200 to spend on gifts.

 Officers enjoy a fun-filled morning generally in early to mid December taking kids out for Breakfast.  Kids get introduced to the Officer that they will be hanging out with for the next couple hours.  They then enjoy breakfast that generally consists of fruit, muffins and of course donuts!  

From there they get to hop into a patrol car/truck and see all the cool things inside.  Most kids love the chance that Officers give them to use the lights and siren.  Hurricane Officers then file out in a massive line of lit up patrol cars onto State Street and over to Wal-Mart for the shopping to commence.  While at Wal-Mart in addition to shopping an especially jolly visitor wearing a bright red suit will make a visit and take pictures with the Kids and their new Cop friends.   

Officers then stroll the aisles of the store with the kids to find gifts and toys of the child's choosing.  It is such a wonderful event that the kids and Officers alike have so many positive experiences.  It is an opportunity for the kids to get to know Officers in a different light and for the Officers to make some new young friends.

Officers from the Hurricane Police Department assist approximately 50 children each year from Hurricane and other outlying cities.  Donations come from Hurricane City, Hurricane Wal-Mart, Wal-Mart Distribution 6029, and Wal-Mart Trucking 6029, along with many many donations from private citizens and businesses! We can not thank these businesses and citizens enough for their support of this program.

Among the agencies assisting children during the Shop with a Cop event are:

• Adult Probation and Parole
• Bureau of Land Management
• Drug Enforcement Administration
• Federal Bureau of Investigations
• Hurricane Valley Fire Department
• Immigration and Customs Enforcement
• St. George Communications Center
• U.S. Federal Marshall's Office
• U.S. Forest Service
• Utah Highway Patrol
• Utah State Parks
• Washington County Sheriff's Office
• Zion National Park
• Hurricane City Police Department

Back to School Shop with a Cop

Starting in 2019 Hurricane City Police Department began using some of our Shop with a Cop donations to get kids off to a fresh start for the upcoming school year.  The elementary schools within Hurricane City boundaries submit names of students in need.  We then take the approximately 30 kids each year that are submitted to get new school clothes, shoes and backpacks.  We have worked with Kohl's who open their doors early for the Officers and kids to have the store to themselves to get the shopping done.  

This has been a very successful event so far in the first couple years and we look forward to it being a tradition that will continue for years to come!

Participating Departments have included:

• Hurricane City Police Department
• Hurricane Valley Fire Department
• Utah State Parks
• St George Communications Center

The Hurricane City Police Department has Officers available to meet with your civic or youth groups.  We can arrange for kids to check out the police cars complete with lights/sirens.  If you are interested please contact Officer Dan Raddatz at 435-635-9663, ext. 106.