BREMERTON — If you read our weekly column on a regular basis, one of our themes is differentiating between “homeless” people and “criminal transients.”

To confuse one with the other creates unnecessary negativity toward homeless people, and gives way too much credit to criminal transients. Our strategy is to assist homeless people to get services, and at the same time do all we can to not allow or enable criminal transients to hang out and cause trouble in our city.

We have been staffing extra bike patrols all summer and have been focusing on downtown and around our parks. We have had some very positive feedback, and this week there were a couple of cases that show why it is so important.

Here’s your sign

Friday night, Sgt. Kevin Crane and Officer Steven Forbragd were out on bike patrol when they contacted two of our most frequent flyers in a bank parking lot downtown.

They were sitting directly under a large “No Trespassing” sign, which clearly stated “this property has a trespass authorization form on file with Bremerton Police Department and proactive law enforcement is requested.” This was apparently not clear enough.

Both of these individuals have been “trespassed” out of many areas in the downtown area for repeated and ongoing criminal activity. Both were placed under arrest and taken to jail. One of the two, a registered sex offender, provided the defense, “No one told me I couldn’t be here.”

Caught on tape

An even more disturbing incident occurred later that same day.

Three young boys, aged 12-15 years, were cutting through a parking garage. They encountered a man who was sitting on the floor, intoxicated. The man made several sexual comments. One of the boys took out his cell phone and started recording the man from a distance. This resulted in a very good video of the man making the comments and also exposing himself, as well as motioning for the three to get closer.

The video is powerful evidence. Officer Frank Shaw responded, and took the uncooperative man into custody and to jail. He was also able to obtain the cell phone video and submit it to prosecutors. The man also had drugs in his possession.

As our society grapples with what to do about the rapidly increasing homeless population everywhere, I think it is important to differentiate the criminal transients, and make sure we do not create programs that only enable and perpetuate this behavior.

When skateboarding is a crime

Early last week, we had an incident we could title “Skateboarding is not a crime — except when it is.” A 20-year-old man was skateboarding in the middle of the street on 6th Street approaching Park Avenue. Witnesses observed the skateboarder passing cars on Sixth Street before going into the busy intersection at Park.

Apparently the skateboarder believed the light would turn green just as he got there, but he guessed wrong. The skateboarder lost control just as he got to the middle of the intersection and was struck by a U-Haul box truck going through the intersection on a green light.

The U-Haul actually drove over the skateboarder and stopped on top of him as he was face down. Bike officers were nearby and began investigating. The Fire Department arrived and scooped the victim up and transported him to the hospital with possible broken bones and abrasions.

Officers determined the truck driver was not under the influence and that the skateboarder was clearly at fault. He was later given a  ticket for illegal skateboarding.

Lifesavers, kisses and paydays

Last Saturday, we were visited by congregants at the Iglesia Ni Cristo Church, who stopped by our office to give our officers flowers, candy and donuts (yes, I know the donuts are kind of a stereotype, but come on, they’re donuts!).

They also gave us a basket of candy, with a note that reads:

Survival Kit for Police: Life Savers, because you are definitely a “lifesaver;” Starbursts, for that burst of energy you will need; Paydays, because you are not doing it for the money; Hershey’s Kisses, because you deserve them all; gum, to show how strong your unit sticks together; peppermints, to help you keep your cool; Snickers, to remind you to keep your sense of humor; and Mounds, for the mounds of sacrifices made to keep us safe.”

The church just wanted to let us know we were appreciated — we thank them for thinking of us!

Hooking the Ram

Corporal Steve Polonsky titled this incident from Sunday morning “hold my beer; watch this,” or alternatively, “On Father’s Day, I went fishing and caught a Dodge!”

Officer Bill Prouse was sent to the Kitsap Lake boat launch, where there was a truck in the water. The driver was backing his boat into the launch, and thought he was in “park” and the brake was set, but obviously it was not.

The truck rolled back, then floated out into the lake. A tow truck was summoned to get it out of the water, but we still needed to get it hooked up.

Corporal Polonsky volunteered to go home and get his personal scuba gear, and with his specialized skills helped “hook the Ram” and get the truck out of the water.

We appreciate Steve going the extra mile, but it didn’t stop Officer Johnny Rivera from taking a photo, which he titled “Fishing for corporal.”

Part-time landscapers

Finally on Wednesday this week, officers were sent to an address on Winfield Avenue.

A deer had been badly injured after being struck by a car, and was in a yard with both legs broken. It was obviously suffering, and Fish and Wildlife officers were not available to respond. Officers cleared the area and dispatched the deer with a rifle. Our Public Works staff came out to remove the deer.

The owners of this home clearly took great pride in their lawn and landscaping, and Corporal Jon Meador and Officer Joe Corey took it upon themselves to clean up the yard, hosing off the sidewalks and making sure everything was back to normal before they left.

The homeowner was extremely grateful of their efforts.

— Bremerton Police Chief Steven Strachan