The Las Cruces Police Department is opening up opportunities for residents to blend a bit of community policing with family-friendly relaxation at their upcoming Lunchbox Lemonade series. According to the City of Las Cruces, this initiative is a collaborative effort between the LCPD's Community Outreach Team and local eatery Raising Cane’s. Throughout seven Thursdays, starting June 5, the partnership invites locals to break bread and sip lemonade while engaging in conversations about safety and law enforcement.
Scheduled to run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on designated dates, these events are stationed at different splash pads across the city, providing a cooling escape for the kids. Raising Cane's steps to the plate, providing their signature lemonade on the house, while LCPD will hand out free popsicles, ensuring that the community's thirst for both knowledge and refreshment is well catered to.
The series lineup is structured to give multiple neighborhoods a chance to participate. Kicking off at the Plaza De Las Cruces Splash Pad on June 5, the event will then move on to the Metro Verde Splash Pad come June 12, with a third stop on June 26 at Unidad Park Splash Pad. The cycle repeats, allowing residents who may have missed earlier events a second pass around.
While admission is gratis, attendees are responsible for supplying their lunch, without the burden of dessert and drinks. The casual setting is framed as ideal for candid discussions on how LCPD can better serve and protect their community. These face-to-face interactions, taking place under the canopy of Las Cruces' blistering sun, are an attempt to nurture transparency and trust between police officers and the folks they are sworn to protect.
The detailed schedule and venues for the lunch series are as follows: June 5 and July 10 at Plaza De Las Cruces Splash Pad, 100 N. Main St.; June 12 and July 24 at Metro Verde Splash Pad, 7125 Metro Park St.; and June 26, August 7, and August 21 at Unidad Park Splash Pad, 1501 E. Hadley Ave. The full list of dates and information can be found on the City's official website.
