Joint Release from Police Chief Jeffrey Hooper and Human Relations Officer David Sotelo
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Over the past several months the Hutchinson Police Department and the City of Hutchinson’s Art Design Council have been working on the required artwork that will accompany the remodel of the Law Enforcement Center. My vision for this project has been to create a memorial to those Hutchinson Police Officers who gave their lives in the line of duty. This memorial / artwork will be the focus of the front lobby to the Police Department and generally the first thing people see upon visiting our agency. Because this is the first impression many people will have of HPD I wanted the artwork to also give people the feeling that the Police Department was a welcome, inviting and a safe place for everyone. With those two criteria in mind members of HPD and the Art Design Council began work on this project.
At the April 20th, 2021 City Council meeting we gave a presentation to the Council requesting approval to contract with an artist for this project. Several slides and photos were shown to the council of this artist’s work. As a part of that presentation a rendering that was created by the artist was also displayed. This rendering showed the officer in a kneeling position. This was the artist interpretation and in no way was the final statue. The final position of the Officer for the statue had not and still has not been determined. Upon granting the contract to this artist, the Police Department and Art Design Council will work closely together to come up with the final rendering of the statue.
There has been concern expressed from members of the community that the image of a kneeling officer is offensive and at the very least “tone deaf” given the current culture. I very much understand and agree with these concerns. As the Chief of Police, I will state that the final positioning of the statue will not be in a kneeling position. This statue must and will be a piece that every member of this community can appreciate as a memorial to those officers who gave their lives for the City of Hutchinson. Furthermore, this Statue must and will instill a sense of safety and welcome people into the Police Department.
I have been working with the Human Relations Officer, David Sotelo over the last 24 hours, as he has been in communication with the Human Relations Commission. As part of this partnership Mr. Sotelo and I have heard the concerns of the Commission and others. I have personally asked Mr. Sotelo to sit on the sub-committee to work on the final design for the statue. In this way, Mr. Sotelo will represent these community concerns to ensure the statue represents the hopes and dreams of every citizen of Hutchinson, safety, security, and equality.