South DSM News

The West Des Moines City Council recently received a regional Emmy Award for a short-form video the City made to highlight community involvement by police.

Police Chief Chris Scott presented the Emmy to the council during its Jan. 17 meeting. The City received the 2022 Upper Midwest Regional Emmy Award in the Short-Form Government Videos category for the brief video that highlights the City's engagement efforts with the community.

"For me the most rewarding thing, whether it be daily or long term, is did I make a difference today?" Scott said in the video. "You know, we have a calling to do this job, we provide a service to our community, and at the end of the day, did I make a difference in somebody’s life?"

The idea came about a few years ago when the council decided to make a video highlighting the Police Department and its community engagement efforts as part of the City's strategic plan, Scott said. The department worked with the Trilix Marketing Group on the production and spent "countless hours" doing interviews, conducting ride-alongs and putting together the final product.

Scott called the production "a huge undertaking" and thanked Assistant Chief Jody Haynes for working diligently on the project, contacting people to do interviews and scheduling all of it. He also thanked Trilix before presenting the award to the council.

The video, which is four minutes long and can be found on the videographer’s Vimeo page, showcases several officers talking about the focus of community policing and how their job is both "impossible" and pointless if they are not allied with the members of the community.

The video also shows officers going into classrooms and community events and lending a hand to citizens in all aspects of life. The video ends with the officers listing all the reasons they serve—and the mantra "I Serve."