Castle Rock officers, skaters to meet at Metzler Ranch park Sunday

Castle Rock police will spend Sunday at Metzler Ranch Skate Park trying to build trust one conversation at a time. The first Skate & Deploy event of 2026 will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on National Go Skateboarding Day at 4175 Trail Boss Dr., in a public setting the town says is free and open to everyone.

The Town of Castle Rock says the event is meant to connect officers with young people through a shared love of sport. Rather than a formal presentation, the setup is simple: skaters show up, ride, meet officers and use the park as the backdrop for questions, skill-sharing and safer habits on the ramps and pavement.

Castle Rock says Skate & Deploy gives youth a chance to ask questions, acquire new skills, discuss park etiquette and learn skateboard safety. That makes the gathering more than a meet-and-greet. It is also a public-safety effort, with police showing up in the everyday spaces where local teens already spend time and where misunderstandings can often start.

The event’s location is part of the strategy. Metzler Ranch Skate Park is already a familiar destination for riders, and Metzler Ranch Community Park includes a skate park with lights, giving the space the infrastructure for both daytime use and evening programming. Castle Rock says participants ride at their own risk.

The outreach series is not new. Castle Rock Police says Skate & Deploy was introduced in the summer of 2025, alongside other youth-focused programming such as Dirt Jumps and Donuts. The town says the idea is to bring officers together with young residents in low-pressure settings that can make police seem less remote and more approachable.

Castle Rock is also extending the effort beyond Sunday’s session. A second Skate & Deploy event is already scheduled for Saturday, September 12, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Metzler Ranch Skate Park. The town’s Skate & Deploy skateboard design contest is another piece of the same effort, inviting Castle Rock middle and high school students to submit designs that could be chosen by the public at the Police Department’s National Night Out event.

For Douglas County families who use the park, Sunday’s event will offer a direct look at whether this kind of outreach can do what official statements alone cannot: turn routine contact into something residents view as credible, familiar and worth repeating.