Levelland Police Department (LPD) is hosting a Casting with Cops event August 23 at Lobo Lake from 8 a.m to 2 p.m. along with multiple public safety agencies in attendance.
Personnel from the LPD, Hockley County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO), Sundown PD, Texas DPS and Texas Parks and Wildlife will be taking part of the event.
Always wanting to engage with the community, LPD Chief Erica O’Bryon was determined to make the event possible once she heard about the idea.
“Fishing is a great pass time. It gets people out-doors and it’s a very relaxing sport,” explained O’Bryon. “Being able to meet the community and doing something that seems to be a very popular sport is very exciting.”
Continuously seeing Lobo Lake filled with families fishing and hanging around, the LPD wanted to plan something that would bring the joy of family and fishing together.
The idea came about when LPD’s Aryn Corely noticed a handful of kids fishing at the lake. From there Corely informed O’Bryon and the duo grabbed some stickers before joining in on the fun. The event was hosted by AgriLife Hockley County Extension Agent Wes Utley for a summer program.
Talking to the extension agents and kids, O’Bryon mentioned the LPD were thinking about an event called Casting with Cops and asked if they would be interested in something like that. From there the idea took off.
Corley, a former game warden for several years remembers being a game warden in Levelland and seeing people gather around Lobo Lake.
“It’s like deja vu. It’s a great way for us to interact with the public in a way that is non-law enforcement related,” stated Corley.
Corley noted that when law enforcement usually shows up to a scene somebody is having a bad day. The LPD wanted to provide a great experience not only for the LPD squad but for the community they get to take care of on a daily basis.
“The great thing about fishing is that it’s easy to do and really inexpensive but it also appeals to all ages,” stated Corley. “This is really crafted for families to be able to interact with one another and other people.”
The LPD also wanted a day where people would be able to disconnect from electronics and get back with reality. A limited amount of fishing supplies will be available. Additionally, fishing licenses will be waived for this event as well during the hours of the event. Refreshments, like water, will be provided by Republic Services along with pizza for lunch provided by the Lion’s Club. The LPD urges people to know that once the event is over, people will have to have a valid fishing license to continue fishing.
The LPD hopes this will become a tradition for years to come and encourages the community to attend even if they don’t want to fish.