Cops chased nearly 150 community members throughout a small portion of Owensboro on Saturday morning. After running 5 kilometers in the 8th annual Run From the Cops 5K hosted by Owensboro Police Department, everyone went inside the station where attendees were treated to donuts and hamburgers from the men in blue.
Sgt. Jason Goddard said he was thankful to be back in the community and hosting the annual event for the first time since the pandemic hit in 2020. Even though they didn’t reach their goal of 200 racers, drawing 150 participants from ages 12 through 60+ was a mission accomplished, he said.
“The weather was great and it just turned into a great day. I’m extremely excited about the race and how it went. I’ve heard no complaints about anything. So I’m really excited,” he said.
In addition to giving away gift cards to Shoe Stop and plaques for completing the race, OPD also crowned the top three finishers in each age division.
After the race, OPD held Police Appreciation Day by filling their back lot with food and different department groups and special units to allow the community a chance to learn more about the various services they provide.
The funds raised from the race go to specialty units — such as the Hazardous Devices Unit and Emergency Response Team — among others. Letting people connect with the units is another plus of the event to Goddard, he said.
“People are interacting with our officers in a different way, in a positive way. A lot of people don’t know what our drone unit does,” he said. “They read it in the news and think ‘What’s the drone unit?’ Well, we got to show them right here today.”
