By Mary O’KEEFE

The Glendale Police Dept. is hosting an open house and Touch-A-Truck event on Oct. 18 in front of the main station at 131 N. Isabel Street from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The open house has long been a favorite of kids and adults, allowing everyone to meet and greet officers, share concerns and ask questions. It recently added an event that has become especially popular: Touch-a-Truck.

“The last two years we have [combined] with the open house,” said Amy Tate of the GPD Community Relations team.

Tate has been with the Community Relations team for quite a while but recently she is better known as the best friend of GPD K-9 Brisket. Brisket will definitely be at the events on Oct. 18. 

A few years ago Tate was working at an American Cancer Society fundraiser when her co-worker mentioned a Touch-a-Truck event she had attended with her children. The event was not a fundraiser but its popularity made it a natural fit with the GPD open house. 

For the Touch-a-Truck portion of the event, there will be a lot of hands-on activities featuring trucks from Public Works, Parks and Recreation and sanitation including garbage trucks, street sweepers and the very popular vacuum truck. 

“We will also have those cool little lawnmower [vehicles] from Parks and Recreation,” Tate said. 

At the GPD open house, there will not only be hands-on activities but also GPD information. Visitors will see law enforcement vehicles including motorcycles, SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) vehicles and patrol vehicles. There will also be a drone display. 

Inside the GPD community room many of the GPD bureaus will be represented, including robbery/homicide, and there will be a “crime scene” created so kids can use their detective skills to solve the crime. 

The K-9 Unit will also be on hand and provide a demonstration.

“This year we will have the K-9 Companions who raised Brisket,” Tate said. 

K9 Companions will have different service dogs on-site, including puppies, and anyone who has questions about support dogs can ask the representatives. 

There will also be information booths from local organizations including the American Legion. 

And if all the activities and trucks aren’t enough, there will be a rock climbing wall and free hot dogs, first come/first served, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

Admission is free.