A veteran of the Wylie Police Department is still working in a familiar place but a much different role compared to where she started.

Officer Alexandra Waters had a three-year stint as a patrol officer in the department from 2016 through 2019 before rejoining in February 2022 after working as a child abuse prevention educator. In May 2022, she began as the Wylie Police Department’s Community Relations Officer.

Waters said it is her job to try and create positive interactions with the community because so many officer interactions occur in negative circumstances.

“When people interact with police, it’s typically the worst day ever,” Waters said. “They’re getting a ticket, somebody’s getting arrested [or] somebody just had a tragedy happen. Our goal as a department is to also be a part of the good days.”

To that end, the department has partnered with 7-Eleven for Operation Chill, which allows officers to hand out free Slurpee coupons to children in the community. That program is mainly implemented through school resource officers, said Waters.

The department also hands out police stickers in an effort to have a positive impact on younger residents in the community.

Waters said it is also the job of every officer to work on strengthening the ties between the department and residents.

“It takes a lot of manpower, support and ideas from the police department,” Waters said. “While everyone has different assignments, we are all community relations officers.”

Additionally, Waters said part of her job revolves around planning different community events and handling the department’s social media pages.

This year, the department attended both National Night Out and a Juneteenth celebration, said Waters, which were two big contributions to the community.

For the full story, see the Oct. 26 issue of The Wylie News.