Canby officers are part of the fabric of the community
By Raymond Rendleman, for The Canby Chronicle
Other duties as assigned: The dunk tank was Canby Interim Chief Jose Gonzalez’s assignment on the evening of Aug. 4.
Gonzalez said he genuinely had fun letting members of the public compete to drop him in the water, but his duty in the hot seat above the dunk tank also had a serious purpose. “We want to build trust with the community,” he said.
Wildfire smoke had rolled in for the department’s annual Grill and Chill, but Gonzalez didn’t want to cancel the event. Sponsors were bringing free flags and kids backpacks for participants, and he didn’t want citizens to miss out on the opportunity to receive the goodies. During an air quality alert, the National Weather Service recommends people stay inside if possible, particularly if you have respiratory concerns or other health problems, are a senior, or a child.
Despite the wildfire smoke during the Canby Police Department’s version of a National Night Out celebration, Grill and Chill attracted 700 people for free hot dogs, ice cream, photo booth, and face painting. National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign sponsored by a nonprofit organization that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie.
Gonzalez said it’s important for citizens to interact with police in a fun way, not just in an enforcement way, because through the informal interactions the quality of life improves for everyone in Canby. “They can express what bothers them and how we can improve our service,” Gonzalez said. At the same time that citizens offer casual suggestions to the police department, they might learn something new about how police operate in ways that might help officers do their jobs.
It’s not uncommon that police hear about crimes through community events, rather than by people calling 911 or visiting the police station, Gonzalez said. “It makes it better for that victim to approach an officer in a comfortable setting,” he said.
In addition to the Grill and Chill, Canby Police offer many other annual opportunities to have positive interactions with community members. Each spring police host a bike rodeo to hand out bike helmets and teach kids about the rules of the road. While the event is geared primarily to kids 3-10 years old, it brings out family members of all ages who seem to enjoy interacting with officers on the sidelines of obstacle courses.
Gonzalez also looks forward to helping serve food during the Bridging Cultures picnic at Wait Park. The event brings together diverse Hispanic and American cultures in Canby to celebrate our crosscultural connections. In addition to the police department, participation from Kiwanis Club and Clackamas County officials show up as well.
“We're here to provide services to all walks of life,” Gonzalez said.
Officers statewide go through a lot of crisis intervention training, and they go through an annual required recertification process. This is not an abstract state requirement for police officers, Gonzalez said. “We have a job to do, and our officers are exposed to mental health issues in their private lives,” he said.
Additionally, there is a staff member in the police department who has a master's degree in mental health. This staff member is asked to join officers on calls where they might be able to help deescalate an intense situation. The mental health staffer is available as an in-house counselor to debrief with officers who sometimes experience personal trauma, where they witness issues that people in the general population don’t normally witness. “If we don't take care of ourselves, how could we take care of anyone else?” Gonzalez asked.
Canby Police has two school resource officers, one assigned to the middle school and other to the high school. These officers are in the buildings during the school day to assist with students reporting crimes, but they are also in the hallways exchanging high-fives and chatting with kids.
“They’re not just dealing with crime. The SROs are also in schools to show kids that it's okay to deal with police on a day to day basis,” Gonzalez said.
During the city’s annual tree lighting, police assist by doing extra patrols. Cops also attend First Thursdays during the summer, and the touch-a-truck event with the National Guard and fire department. How does the department decide if it’s going to take on an additional event? What if you want to invite the police to your kid’s birthday party? As for these optional appearances, Gonzalez said that they will sometimes not have the resources to help. “Sometimes we hire officers for overtime to be able to attend those events if we have enough advance notice,” he said. Sometimes a compromise is made if the police can do a drive-by through an event with flashing lights, such as for an outdoor kids’ birthday party.
Education and community outreach are also at the forefront of two recent enhanced enforcement efforts, with additional officers dedicated to traffic safety patrols in Canby.
Canby Police Department officers conducted a focused traffic enforcement mission in May throughout the community, with an emphasis on seat belt compliance and distracted driving violations. 44 citations were issued during the mission, as well as 13 formal warnings
During the July 16 Air Fest in Canby, an interagency cooperation effort brought officers from across the county, along with troopers from Oregon State Police, to place emphasis on all five of Canby’s key traffic enforcement categories: DUI, seatbelt, crosswalk, speed, and distraction.
Safety and community: Canby Police’s focus!
