ASK Officer Schoen

Question: Why are our officers wearing pink patches on their uniforms?

Answer:

In 2013, the Seal Beach Police Department in California started wearing Pink Patches to show their support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which we observe in October. This grew in popularity across the country and, in 2019, Cottage Grove Reserve Sgt. Justin VanHalanger spearheaded the design of the Cottage Grove Police Department Pink Patch program.

Sgt. VanHalanger lost his father to cancer. His mother won her battle with cancer seven years ago. Watching his parents struggle with the financial hardships, the pain of losing his father and recognizing how many other families must be struggling to simply pay for health care, Sgt. VanHalanger took his passion for collecting police memorabilia and the love of his family to bring the Pink Patch Project to the Cottage Grove Police Department. The best part of the Pink Patch Project? The patches are for sale to anyone. In 2019 when the first Pink Patches were made available, we sold 300 in less than 24 hours.

Sgt. VanHalanger started introducing “throwback” patch designs to the Pink Patch Project as well. Now we are including our current patch design in pink and one historical patch in pink. Our goal is to introduce other historical designs to help raise funds and awareness for those dealing with cancer.

The Pink Patch Program is administrated by our non-profit organization the Cottage Grove Public Safety Board. You can come to the Cottage Grove Police Station during normal business hours and purchase them for $10 each. If you would like one mailed to you, send a check made out to the Cottage Grove Public Safety Board, 12800 Ravine Parkway S. Cottage Grove, MN 55016. You can also email Sgt. VanHalanger at [email protected] cottagegrovemn.gov to discuss online payment options. Far too often society forgets that members of law enforcement have families who struggle with the same issues as everyone else. Cancer is no exception.

Construction: You have seen many projects around the city which have affected some roads over the spring and summer. Those will continue into the fall, and some will have temporary road closures. Please follow us on social media where we try to make sure to keep the public updated on expected road closures or other issues effecting your drive.

Facebook: Cottage Grove Minnesota Police Department Twitter: @cgpublicsafety Instagram: @cottagegrovemn