BREMERTON — Of course, everyone knows you should not drink alcohol, use drugs or otherwise do anything that creates impairment when driving. Apparently that includes opening a can of Coke as well. Last Friday, officers responded to a crash at the 6100 block of Kitsap Way. They found a car had been driven into a mobile home. Turns out, the driver had spilled a can of soda in his lap, which caused him to inadvertently step on the accelerator — and the mobile home was in the way. The car was totaled. The trailer had an estimated $1,000 damage. Plus, the driver did not have a license or any kind of insurance. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

Corporal Todd Byers passed along this summary of a call from Friday night:

“Saturday happened to be April Fool’s Day. So late that night, a clearly intoxicated woman called 911 from the area of the Perry Avenue Mall to make a really funny April Fool’s joke regarding the police. She was not located and officers left the area. It just so happens that a few hours later, a female was kicked out of one of the bars in that area, but was refusing to leave, so security called the police. She was told to leave, and she shared that we ‘were not nice police officers, and by the way she had called the 911 April Fool’s Day prank in earlier.’ She was too drunk to realize, or care, that it was April 2 when she had called.”

Giving help to a veteran in need:

Corporal Garrity sent along this incident from last Monday. Officers responded to a call involving an Army veteran who has post traumatic stress disorder, a history of suicide attempts, was trained in hand-to-hand combat and was having a crisis. The caller was the veteran’s father-in-law. The veteran had been injured in a Humvee incident. He denied he needed assistance on the first contact and told the officers to stay back. He said he did not want to hurt himself, and officers stayed at the bottom of the stairs and spoke with his father-in-law. We learned he was upset because he is a 100 percent disabled vet, and when he applied for food stamps for his family, he was denied. He expressed he did not think it was fair that some people are able to obtain food stamps, while he was injured while serving his country and he was not eligible. The veteran’s wife came out of the apartment and advised he had now cut himself on the wrists. The officers entered the apartment and observed the man sitting in a recliner with a cut to his left wrist. The officers were able to convince him to go to the hospital with them. The family was provided the telephone number for a veteran’s advocate who officers know from training sessions we have had in these issues. The advocate followed up immediately. The officers did a great job by remaining calm, not forcing the issue and providing immediate resources for the veteran and his family.

Keeping busy with bike patrols:

As we continue to ramp up our bike patrol for the summer, I apologize for the bumpy communication on what types of patrols we will be doing. Lt. Olan is coordinating a basic activity sheet and we will cover with both bike and foot patrols, depending on availability. Officers will check in with hotel staff, getting through the garages, and making contact with people noticing our bike and foot patrols. In case you aren’t sure whether it is being noticed, this was a timely letter to the editor published in the Kitsap Sun:

“In case people aren’t aware of it, Bremerton’s police force is something the citizens can be truly be proud of. When making frequent trips in from Poulsbo for appointments, the dog and I always look forward to walks in your city parks. Whether it be Forest Ridge, Evergreen or any of the others, we usually encounter a friendly officer doing patrol, and that makes us feel safe wherever we go.

“This week a couple of officers on bicycles cruised through Evergreen whilst we were walking there, and then after my appointment the same officers peddled through the dimly lit parking garage of the building I was parked in downtown. I made mention I’d seen them earlier at the park, which prompted one of the officers to give a friendly yell, back over his shoulder: “Just making sure people are safe!”

“It’s always nice to see the old motto ‘Protect and Serve’ is still being proudly practiced, and Bremerton’s force has my utmost respect and heartfelt thanks for a job well done. You guys really made my day. — Craig Salt, Poulsbo.”

Salvation Army focuses on nigh security:

Related to the bike and foot patrols we are doing, the mayor and I have been working with the Salvation Army to make sure they are being attentive to some of the problems caused by the recent changes there. They are committing to no overnight program this fall unless they staff security guards — that is a very good change. They are also working on a grant to get mental health case workers involved, which would be a great outcome. Stand by, and I will let you know how that goes. Bottom line: I know it has been challenging, but we are working on some good things to supplement the extra patrols.

Steven D. Strachan, Chief of Police
Bremerton Police Department
Steven.Strachan@ci.bremerton.wa.us