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Lt. Matt Harris
Public Relations Officer

The Community Relations Office of the Columbus Police Department provides public information to local, state, and national media outlets; conducts news conferences and interviews; and provides timely and accurate information about department-related activities and programs. CPD continues its mission to maintain close relationships with the public and media. This website assists us in our venture to serve the public and offer information to the people of this community of important CPD events and news releases. These events will be listed on our home page. The Columbus Police Department is strongly committed to serving our citizens, not only through enforcement, but also education, crime prevention and community involvement. If you need a guest speaker in any of the following categories, please contact the Community Relations Office.

  • Police K-9
  • Drug Prevention Safety (All Topics)
  • Bicycle Rodeos
  • Neighborhood Watch Program
  • Police Department Tours

Any questions or concerns regarding the Columbus Police Department can be forwarded to Lt . Harris at 812-376-2605 or dharris@columbus.in.gov


The Columbus Police Department has a cultural liaison officer for various cultures representative of our community and civic organizations within and around the community of Columbus.  To serve as a catalyst to promote positive enduring relationships between the Columbus Police Department and the culturally diverse community it serves and protects.

The objectives of this office are:

  • Develop & present training curriculums to law enforcement personnel, community members, and individuals of minority groups
  • Provide current and ongoing cultural awareness & diversity training.
  • Facilitate focus group discussions.
  • Have scheduled and informal follow up outreach meetings with minority community representative members, i.e.: African-Americans, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, India, Hispanic (Su Casa Columbus) and others requesting such interaction.
  • Assist with recruiting new police officers.
  • Develop and maintain a civilian group of interpreters.
  • Provide: interpreter / translator services (at need basis) for criminal investigations when requested by my department and outside law enforcement agencies.
  • Provide basic laws (do’s & don’t) information and education to Latino-Hispanic community.
  • Pass on investigative alerts & trends from other law enforcement communities to CPD personnel.

If you have any questions or would like additional information, please contact Lt. Matt Harris at 812-376-2605 or by email at dharris@columbus.in.gov .