In the Village of Hastings, the work of community policing has a softer, four-legged face. For Chief Dosen, it is all about Libby and Mia, his two dogs, who have become a familiar part of how the chief reaches out to the people he serves. Rather than keeping a distance, he uses the pair to break the ice and turn routine encounters into friendly ones.
The dogs are not just kept at the station. When it is time to head into the village, the two ambassadors come along for the ride, riding with the chief as he makes his way through the community. Officers, by his account, enjoy having them around, with the chief noting that it is always nice to have a little doggy around as part of the day.
For Chief Dosen, the appeal of the approach is simple and personal. He says he enjoys seeing people and being part of the community, day in and day out. The dogs make those moments easier, giving residents a reason to stop, smile and talk to an officer they might otherwise pass by without a word.
That outreach takes its most visible form at a yearly gathering. At the annual Cops and Cones event in McCarran Park, the chief and his department meet residents in a relaxed setting, handing out ice cream and spending time with the people of the village away from any emergency or complaint.
The reaction, he says, is not always what people expect. Chief Dosen recalled that a lot of people were taken aback at first because they are not used to the friendliness. For him, that surprise is exactly the point, a chance to show a side of policing built on communication rather than confrontation.
His message at events like Cops and Cones is straightforward. He wants residents to know that the department is there for them, and that approachability is a deliberate strategy. Dogs, ice cream, sprinkles and smiles, as the chief frames it, are among the tools he uses to help keep Hastings safe.
Together, Libby, Mia and Chief Dosen have been described as a kind of crime fighting trio, building community one day at a time. It is a small, local example of how some departments are trying to strengthen ties with the people they serve, betting that trust built over an ice cream cone can matter as much as anything else.