COPS Shop BBQ

Tickets are on sale for the Third Annual COPS Shop Barbeque slated for Thursday, Oct. 9 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Curt’s Famous Meats on Truman Road in Independence. Cost for the dinner, which includes chips, drinks and dessert, is $10 for a barbecue beef or pork sandwich and $5 for a hot dog meal.
All proceeds from the annual event help to offset rent and facility expenses for the Englewood Police Sub Station on Winner Road in the Englewood Business District.
“The businesses who benefit from the COPS shop have really stepped up this year,” said Stacie Short, the event’s co-chair and member of the Englewood Business Association. “We have been very successful in soliciting sponsorships from the small business owners in the area who realize how important the sub-station is.”
Leading the effort to retain a public safety presence in northwest Independence were the EBA and Maywood Merchants Association when the Fairmount sub-station fell victim to budget cuts in 2005. Residents and merchants persuaded the city of Independence and the Independence Police Department to consider a new location for the community policing hub in a vacant storefront along Winner Road. In turn the businesses owners and citizens pledged to lend financial and moral support to the project.
Part of the community’s commitment has been to donate volunteer hours to the operation and assist with the $600 monthly rent. Since taking up residency in Englewood, the COPS Shop has seen an outpouring of generosity from private donations and fundraising efforts including pancake breakfasts at the Englewood Café and the yearly barbecue.
Says Donna Pittman, owner of Curt’s Famous Meats, a leader in the Maywood Merchants Association and the event cochair, “The neighborhood cops do a tremendous amount for business owners and people who live in these areas. They keep an eye on our properties and make our customers feel safe and welcomed. It could not be a more positive partnership.”
Sgt. Bill Vaughan who has manned the sub-station from its inception echoes the sentiment. “The residents and merchants have truly embraced us,” he says. “We are doing our duty in crime prevention but also are establishing an open line of communication. We have a lot of folks who just stop in to visit and keep us up to date about what is going on in the area. It’s not always about being punitive but just being available to people and making them feel comfortable.”
“The community has to be involved for community policing to be effective,” says Pittman. “Having this resource in our neighborhood is a privilege. The officers who are there do a great job of talking to people about problems and working in cooperation with us to find solutions.”
The annual barbecue is arranged each year by a coordinated volunteer effort lead by Pittman and Short. Members of the community execute every detail from soliciting sponsors and selling tickets to smoking the meat and serving. To purchase tickets, please visit Curt’s Famous Meats, Changing Seasons Gift Gallery & Flowers or BVogue salon or call 816-836-2288.