SERVING OUR COMMUNITY A MONTHLYM E-NEWSLETTEREWSLETTER FROM YOUR POLICE DEPARTMENT AN ACCREDITED LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY MAY 2012 VOLUME V - ISSUE 5 NATIONAL POLICE WEEK May 13 through 19 was National Police Week and Tuesday May 15 th was National Police Officers Memorial Day. Having never been in attendance in Washington DC for this event, I took some vacation and went back to witness and participate in the reading of Centralia Police Officer William H. Smith (End of Watch - EOW, 12-23-1910) as he was recognized for his service and sacrifice. On Sunday evening (May 13 th ) more than 20,000 uniformed officers from throughout the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom gather at the National Police Memorial to honor the more than 300 names recently inscribed on the wall, including the 163 officers who were killed in the line of duty in 2011. There were three names from Washington State added to the wall this year. In addition to our Officer Smith, Pierce County Deputy Sheriff Shandon Wright (EOW 03/03/2011) and Washington State Corrections Officer Jayme Biendl (EOW 01/29/2011) were honored and remembered. Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano were the guest speakers at the Candlelight Service. The name of each of the 362 names newly inscribed on the wall was read aloud. This included officers killed this past year as well as other previous deaths unreported to the memorial foundation. On Tuesday, National Police Officers Memorial Day all U. S. flags at all governmental building in DC (and there are hundreds of them) were at halfstaff and President Barrack Obama was the main speaker at the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Service. The National Law Enforcement Memorial was developed with private funding and serves to recognize and remember those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to their community. A Museum is also being constructed at the site and should be finished shortly. It is important to remember our fallen comrades and the experience of being there for the services will stay with me for the rest of my life. Fast Facts Centralia Police Department PO Box 609, 118 W. Maple Street Centralia, WA 98531 www.cityofcentralia.com / cpd@cityofcentralia.com 1-800-748-6422 or 740-2726 Our Mission Work in partnership with our community to protect life and property, reduce crime, and enhance the security and quality of li fe in our city There are more thank 900,000 law enforcement officers serving in the United States 1,799 law enforcement officers have been killed in the line of duty in the past 10 years The first recorded police death in the United States was in 1791 The deadliest day in law enforcement history was September 11, 2001 when 72 officers were killed while responding to the terrorist attacks on America. On average, more than 53,500 law enforcement officers (are assaulted each year, resulting in approximately 14,000 injuries Last year in the City of Centralia, there were 13 incidents wherein Centralia Police Officers were assaulted; fortunately none with significant injuries. Washington State bestowed 9 Medals of Honor in 2012, two posthumously. Do you have a question about the law, police procedures, policing tactics? Why we write tickets on some people we stop and not others? Send it in - we will pick questions e-mailed to us and provide an opinion, answer, department procedure or practice, or what the law says. E-mail your question to cpd@cityofcentralia.com.
Annual Departmental Awards Ceremony At the city council meeting on May 10th, as a part of the National Police Week Observances, the police department conducted its annual awards and recognition program. This has been a tradition with the department since 2004. The council takes time from their busy agenda to allow the department and its employees to receive recognition for the important work that is done on behalf of the residents of our community. The following officers and employees were recognized: For Five Years of Service: Police Officer Dave Clary Police Officer Doug Lowrey Police Officer Will Phipps Police Records Technician Taresa Robertson Police Officer Mike Smerer Dan Foss - All Star Fencing For Forty Five Years of Service: Police Records Technician Gayle Mulligan Citizen Commendation: When the midpoint of the Seattle to Portland Bike Ride moved from Riverside Park to Centralia College, reserve police officers found themselves in need of some fence panels for the bicycle corral fund raiser. Mr. Foss, owner of All Star Fence, was approached and graciously agreed to supply the needed panels at no charge. Over the past 7 years, Mr. Foss has continued his support even though the number of panels has increased from the 12 originally requested to the current 44. Mr. Foss crew delivers and recovers the panels at no cost to the city and they are always willing to supply additional panels at the last minute. If not for Mr. Foss continued support, the reserve officers yearly bicycle corral fund raiser would not succeed. Police Officer Patty Finch Certificate of Commendation: Officer Patty Finch received this award based on her outstanding work and extraordinary achievement with Department s Special Olympics Program. For her work with all aspects of Special Olympics, including the 2012 Polar Bear Plunge in Seattle, Tip a Cop fundraisers at Applebee s, Krispy Crème Doughnuts and Red Robin; planning, support, and participating in annual Law Enforcement Torch Runs, and selection from a statewide competition to represent all of Washington State Law Enforcement at the 2013 Special Olympics World Winter Games in South Korea, Officer Patty Finch was formally commended. Police Officer Neil Hoium Officer Neil Hoium received this award based on his excellent work in public safety and outstanding achievement in the full range of law enforcement duties associated with traffic safety in Centralia. For 196 traffic enforcement actions, for his work creating and implementing the first every Traffic Safety School in Lewis County, implementing the electronic ticketing platform for our police motorcycles, his work with Safety City as well as service as a DUI Impact Panelist, resulting in his departmental nomination and ultimate selection for 2011 Lewis County Traffic Safety Officer of the Year as presented by the Lewis County DUI - Traffic Safety Task Force, Officer Neil Hoium was formally commended.. Karen Anderson Volunteer of the Year Karen Anderson has been a volunteer with the Centralia Police Department for the past 5 years. Karen has participated in every CPD event and has put a tremendous amount of energy and passion into the Special Olympics Torch run and other Special Olympic events. In fact, Karen ran the entire 22 mile torch run 2 years ago. She also works tirelessly all year promoting the 4 th of July Fun Run by lining up sponsors, advertising and recruiting participants. Karen not only devotes a tremendous amount of her time but has great ideas and creates opportunities for other volunteers. You can always depend on Karen to do whatever is necessary to make every event a success. (continued - page 4) I have never seen a monument erected to a pessimist Paul Harvey 2
THE DATA PAGE This page presented for those of you who love looking at the numbers Department Category April 2012 YTD 2011 YTD Calls for Service and Complaints: 1734 7273 7768 Traffic Infraction Notices Issued: 113 385 467 Index Crime March YTD Murder 0 1 Rape 1 2 Criminal Misdemeanor Citations Issued: 81 334 351 Felony Arrests (non warrant): 48 142 154 Warrants Served (Felony & Misdemeanor): 14 308 255 Summons Requests: 2 13 18 Juvenile Arrests and Referrals: 1 6 42 Traffic Collision Investigations and Reports: 38 169 147 UCR Rate: 2001-2012 Robbery 1 4 Felony Assault 7 9 Burglary 23 63 Theft 41 153 Auto Theft 5 17 Arson 1 3 1,800 1,600 1,400 1,200 1,000 800 600 400 200-1400 1,205 1,230 1,247 1,120 1,140 1,177 1,582 1,487 1,382 85 90 70 95 71 1,453 989 998 77 1,066 1,037 99 108 782 81 1,124 802 94 85 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 1,097 1,145 Property Crime Violent Crime Index Total Poly. (Index Total) Total Crime: 2008-2012 Annualized Projection Based on Year to Date, April 30 863 1,218 887 777 714 63 Total 79 259 CPD Community Policing Calendar - 2012 July 4 - Summerfest, Borst Park; Downtown Parade July 14 and 15 - Seattle to Portland (STP) Bike Ride July 20, 21, 22 - Downtown Centralia Antique Fest August 7 - National Night Out Against Crime September - Wellness Fair (date to be determined) October 31 - Halloween Safe Trick or Treat, Downtown December - Day with Santa (date to be determined) 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 2008 89 193 307 407 528 615 709 798 889 1012 1102 1145 2009 93 148 208 281 339 409 483 544 606 680 770 863 2010 166 252 365 463 583 685 784 860 967 1062 1135 1218 2011 88 143 209 297 378 446 528 597 680 740 799 887 2012 65 109 180 259 3
Carla Penley Reserve Officer of the Year Carla Penley works for the police department as a part time community services officer, coordinating our volunteer program. In addition to this, Carla is a reserve police officer for the department. The officers advise that they enjoy working with her and having an individual of her maturity and experience in the car. Carla has used her work as a reserve police officer to enhance her work with our volunteers, coordinating numerous projects including domestic violence training, Special Olympics, and a Day with Santa. Moreover, her work reflects a professional approach to law enforcement; she is an active participant in the patrol operations of the department, and never hesitates to volunteer her time and energy, as well as jump right in when needed. Finally, she always exhibits a positive attitude and personifies the mission statement of the department by working with our community. Employee of the Year The employee of the year is selected by the leadership team of the department after nominations are received. Any employee can nominate any fellow worker, commissioned or civilian; supervisor or worker. Nominations should reflect special accomplishments by the employee, continuing excellence in service to the department, or some combination of the two. Nominations are reviewed by agency leadership (sergeants, commanders, and the chief) and a selection is made. Police Officer Pat Beall Police Officer Rick Hughes Police Officer John Panco Officer John Panco Nominees Chief of Police Robert Berg Police Officer Doug Lee Police Officer Will Phipps For several months last year, John Panco was on light duty for a serious leg injury. Due to his limited mobility, he was assigned the task of cleaning up our records. John spent several weeks sitting alone in the vault, carefully researching, destroying and merging files so that everything could be conveniently consolidated into one place. In all, he was able to discard over 300 lineal feet of records while ensuring compliance with the State Archive s Office retention schedules. As a long-time employee of the Centralia Police Department, John has consistently demonstrated his reliability and dedication to the agency and the city. This project fell far outside his normal duties and regular job-description and yet he embraced it without complaint, needing no more than a brief explanation of the task and required virtually no supervision. John s accomplishments are a clear example of his work ethic. If not for John s unique tenacity, perseverance and commitment, this project would never have been completed. Police Records Technician Taresa Robertson Taresa Robertson was hired as a Police Records Technician with the Centralia Police Department in 2007. Over the past 5 years, she has taken on greater responsibilities and has met each new challenge with the enthusiasm and persistence that has made her a vital part of this agency. In addition to managing felony investigation files and workflow, she is also tasked for the majority of the department s transcription, a very tedious and time consuming job. She is extremely conscientious and her attention to detail means her work is always accurate and professional. 4 Police Officer Adam Haggerty Police Officer Deric Makein Records Tech. Taresa Robertson Taresa continues to take on additional challenges without hesitation or complaint. She can be counted on to step up when additional hours are needed to complete tasks or when other employees need assistance, regardless of her workload. She is constantly looking for ways to improve our department s productivity and her work ethic, dedication and positive attitude have contributed to the on-going success of our agency. Awards and recognition are important to all members of the department and to the community that we serve. The department thanks and recognizes Taresa for her continued efforts to work in partnership with our community to protect life and property, reduce crime, and enhance the security and quality of life in our city. (continued - page 5) You cannot live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you - John Wooden
Chief s Award The Chief s Award is presented to an individual or group who, in the mind of the chief of police, has exhibited the finest in integrity, professionalism, extraordinary effort and attitude in getting the job done. This award is a discretionary award and may or may not be presented each year; it may be presented more than once each year. LeMay Enterprises, Operations Manager Scott Sweet and Office Manager Nicole Jacobson Each year the police department selects a community clean-up project as part of our community policing program. For the past 8 years, the department has undertaken numerous cleanup projects targeting neighborhoods, and specific blights in the community. With the city council recommitment to code enforcement in 2005, the department has moved aggressively both in terms of education and enforcement, as well as with assistance to our community to improve its image. Each and every time, LeMay Enterprises has been our corporate partner, providing equipment, supplies, and labor without cost. Each of these projects required things that a police department just does not have. But for corporate partners like LeMay, we would not be able to do these things that, not directly within our mission, do have a positive impact on improving the image of our community and reducing crime. But beyond the corporate image, we recognize, appreciate, and thank the people within the company that step up each year to make these projects happen. This was once again evidenced this year with our project in removing a community blight near the college which would not have been possible without the extraordinary assistance of Scott, Nicole, and LeMay Enterprises. Centralia Police Department Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT) In 2004 the Centralia Police Department Special Weapons and Tactics Team underwent an outside technical and operational audit to ascertain the strengths and weaknesses of the team. As a result of that audit, the team was taken out of service and a rigorous training program was undertaken to address noted deficiencies of the team and enhance the team s strengths. Since 2004, the team has responded in a professional and enthusiastic manner to the 20 major recommendations of the auditing agency, the Washington State Tactical Officers Association. As a result of the response to the recommendations, the team was reactivated in 2005 with a renewed commitment to training, instructor development, interaction with subject matter experts, and documentation of training initiatives. Since that time the team s expertise and abilities have grown along with the commitment to training. Ongoing SWAT training is extremely important even more so with a team that has only four or five deployments in a given year. The team continues to excel, working with the federal government to serve warrants in Lewis County, specialized and extended training in New Mexico and Texas to improve individual and team skills, and has provided training to Riverside Fire Authority as to victim evacuation during active shooter scenarios. The dedication and professionalism of our SWAT Officers is at the same level one would find in a much larger department. The team continues to have every confidence of the administration of the department. Lifesaving Award The Life Saving Award is conferred upon any member of the department whose actions directly contribute to saving or significantly prolonging human life. This award is presented in the form of a ribbon bar, and a certificate. On 4/27/12, Officers John Panco and Ruben Ramirez were dispatched to a 911 hang up call. Upon arrival at the residence, Officer Panco discovered an unresponsive 84 year old male who was not breathing and had no pulse. Officer Panco immediately began CPR and was later relieved by Officer Ramirez. After several minutes of CPR, a faint heartbeat was identified. Both officers continued giving chest compressions until RFA Paramedics arrived. But if not for the quick actions of Officer Panco and Officer Ramirez, the gentleman would most likely have died prior to the arrival of RFA medical personnel. For their initiative, commitment, and action which directly contributed to saving or significantly prolonging human life, Officer John Panco and Officer Ruben Ramirez were awarded the Centralia Police Department Life Saving Award. 5