After a three a year hiatus, Seward County Community College’s law enforcement club, Sigma Chi Chi, is making a comeback. This time around, members have big plans for the club.

On March 30, the club, in partnership with the Liberal Police Department, will host a fun run fundraiser in support of the Guymon, Oklahoma, Police Department’s K9 Unit. Participants will have the opportunity to race against the officers and meet the police dogs.

“There will be obstacle courses for the dogs at the event and a fun run for the officers and guests,” Marlene Roberts, a sophomore criminal justice major and President of Sigma Chi Chi, said. “We’ll also be selling hot dogs and sodas.”

The club members decided to organize the event when they heard that the Guymon Police Department was in need of important equipment for their K9 officers, Poker and Danno. After partnering with Liberal’s police department, the group set out to raise the money for the police dogs and begin their first project as members of the recently revived club.

“We’re trying to fundraise for the K9s in need of equipment,” Alondra Loza, freshman criminology major and treasurer of Sigma Chi Chi, explained. “But, we also want people to see who we are as a group.”

Although Sigma Chi Chi has no affiliation with the Guymon Police Department, the group believes that it’s their duty to assist the department in this endeavor anyway.

Police officer and club advisor Josiah Smiddy introduced the idea to the members of the club recently, and, after speaking to Liberal’s police chief, Chief Mulanax, the group was told that Liberal’s Police Department was willing to do their part to help out neighboring agencies as well.

Smiddy expects that, in addition to assisting Guymon with their K9 unit, this fundraiser will help club members develop the skills that they’ll need in a career in law enforcement.

“This fundraising project has caused the students to call into action various concepts they have learned in class, like report writing and community-oriented policing,” Smiddy said.

Since the club is just starting out again, support from the community for this fundraiser will be crucial to the club’s success.

“I don’t see our club going far without a support system,” Loza said. “If we had that support, this club would be blooming.”

Roberts agreed, noting the significance of community in relation to their club’s overall goals.

“The club is hands on. It’s what criminal justice is all about outside of the classroom, so we’re trying to get the community involved as much as we possibly can,” Roberts explained.

The fundraiser is only the first activity that the club plans to participate in as part of their efforts to become better acquainted with hands-on law enforcement and the community as a whole.

“We plan to compete next year in a crime scene competition, which will allow members to network with students in the region and around the country, and apply the lessons they learn in their criminal justice classes,” Smiddy said. “We want to get out there so that they can develop pre-service skills that will help them be more marketable.”

However, in order to continue the club, members will need more than just support from the local law enforcement community.

“We really want to attract more students to the criminal justice program through events like these,” Roberts said.

“We could use more members and support seeing as it’s only a handful of us starting this club again,” Loza said. “But spreading the word also helps.”

Loza also urged SCCC students and members of the community to come out and support their fundraiser.

“Come out and have fun! Bring along people of all ages,” Loza said.

The fundraiser will be held outside of the Mid-America Air Museum on Mar. 30 from noon to 5 p.m. Registration is $7 for adults, $3 for children, and $5 dollars for dogs–spectating is free. The club will also be selling $1 hot dogs and 50 cent sodas and chips. Proceeds will go to the Guymon Police Department K9 Unit.