Mayor Laurie Jadwine interviewed Officer Ann Joden on the Our Gahanna podcast about Joden’s work as a community liaison officer and how the program connects residents to safety and support services.

Officer Ann Joden, who has served 20 years with the Gahanna Division of Police, described a mix of outreach and follow‑up work that she said helps residents “feel safe” and keeps community members connected to local resources. “We’ll do block watches,” Joden said. “If you need a block watch, please contact me. I’m the person that comes out and talks about the safety tips and things to help keep your house safe, keep your car safe.”

Joden said the CLO responsibilities include neighborhood coordination, a Books‑and‑Badges school program in which officers read to preschool through fifth‑grade students and distribute donated books, and safety presentations such as bike‑safety and gun‑safety talks for youth groups. She described the school visits as opportunities to answer children’s questions — sometimes surprising ones — about uniforms, equipment and police sirens. “We have three different sirens that we can cycle through,” she said, noting that varied sounds help drivers notice multiple emergency vehicles approaching.

The interview also covered an operational partnership with Mifflin Township’s community paramedic, Beth Deconick. Joden said Deconick follows up on medical questions, helps families set up care plans and may visit homes with officers when safety or care coordination warrants it. “She’ll call, we’ll call her, and she’ll even go out to the houses with us to talk with families,” Joden said.

Joden described one of the biggest challenges in the CLO role as making sure an initial response is followed by longer‑term help: “The hardest part is just connecting people to the right resources, and making sure that they have the resources available. Sometimes it’s hard to find the right fit the first time. So we’re there to keep following up and keep in contact with the family.”

She also outlined community events and programs the CLOs support, including mental‑health fairs that bring local vendors to the library so residents can access services closer to home. Joden encouraged residents to request classes or events tailored to community interest: “If we don’t have a class written for something you’re interested in learning about, we’ll write that class.”

To reach the community liaison officers, Joden gave the police nonemergency line as (614) 342‑4240, option 1, and urged residents to attend community events where officers are present. “We’re human,” she said. “Come talk to us. Say hi.”

The episode closed with Mayor Laurie Jadwine praising Joden’s service and encouraging listeners to contact the CLOs or catch them at upcoming events.