ABSTRACT Research on community engagement largely focuses on the potential benefits of such activities for police services, policing as an industry, and the larger community, such as reduced disorder and anti-social behavior as well as increased confidence and trust in police. Absent from this conversation, however, are the officers who voluntarily initiate or participate in community engagement and the significance of these activities to them. To address this gap, this study examines officers’ engagement in community initiatives and what those activities mean to them. This study uses qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with 26 officers of various ranks who voluntarily initiated and/or participated in a community-based program(s) or event(s). A thematic analysis of the data reveals three overarching themes on what community engagement activities bring to or mean to officers: (1) community engagement represents an opportunity to build relationships with community members; (2) community engagement is a welcomed opportunity to feel like officers are helping the community; and (3) community activities contribute to officers’ mental wellbeing. This study demonstrates that community engagement is significant and meaningful to the individual officers involved. Thus, not only does community engagement benefit the police service and community (as per the existing literature), it also has potential benefits for officers.