Adventures of Forbragd and Swisher

Last week started with our Traffic Officer, Steven Forbragd, training other officers on how to better test for sobriety for suspected drunk drivers.

Later that day, Steven got to experience a practical example when he arrested a suspected DUI, who pleaded with him and Officer Jacob Switzer that “Forbragd and Swisher” should not arrest him. He was arrested anyway, refused to provide a breath test and went to jail.

Losing the name game

This past month, we have had 12 arrests for false information to a public servant, aka lying to the cops.

We frequently play the “name game” with people, who typically have arrest warrants and come up with fictitious names. The names are often a sibling or someone they know, to attempt to make the lie at least somewhat possible and easier to keep straight.

It usually doesn’t take long for the officer to get to the real name. Sometimes, it is made even easier due to the circumstance.

Last week, Officer Dana Clevenger contacted a woman outside the downtown library, who identified herself with her real name. Once she was informed that she had an arrest warrant, she swore she had made a mistake and provided a different name. She and the officer continued to play the “name game” until the woman’s actual sister, who possesses that actual name, came out of a nearby building, asking what was going on. Bad timing for the suspect.

The suspect gave up, admitted to her real name and went to jail, with the added charge of false information, which typically carries a sentence of five to 10 added jail days.

Helping victims is its own reward

Here is a case that demonstrates the difficult and sometimes heartbreaking situations officers see, along with the really destructive effects of domestic violence.

On Sunday, Sgt. Kevin Crane and Officer Steven Forbragd investigated an incident of domestic violence in West Bremerton.

The woman had her 3-year-old daughter and reported being assaulted during the past several days. The male suspect had left the house. The woman reported being physically assaulted and held against her will. As is often the case in domestic violence, he had also exercised control over her by keeping all of the money and not allowing her or the little girl to have any food.

While officers were talking to the mother, they saw the very hungry 3-year-old girl repeatedly trying to eat a dried up piece of pizza on the coffee table; she said she was afraid the officers would throw it away. Because it was the weekend and it would be difficult to get food from social services quickly, the officers took the woman and girl to Safeway and bought them groceries so they had plenty of food until they could get on their feet.

We are still looking for the suspect. The really cool part is when I offered to reimburse the officers for the expense, they both said the reward of helping the woman and her child was all the compensation they needed.

Like an inebriated Energizer Bunny

We had another dangerous drunk driver taken off the streets on Thursday on a case Corporal Garrity titled “DUI Pinball Wizard.”

Officers Jason Vertefeuille and Phil Whatley responded to a West Bremerton motel for a highly intoxicated person who had driven his car into a wall that surrounds the parking lot.

They found there was more to the story.

The man had celebrated his birthday the night before and drove to the motel and requested a room. Apparently unwilling to pay the charge, he decided to just sleep in his car … still in the drive-up registration area directly in front of the doors.

The night clerk gently told him he could not sleep there. So, he drove the car into the parking lot and over a large curb, striking a retaining wall. He then backed up over a second curb and struck a tree in the parking lot. Like an inebriated Energizer Bunny, the man then drove forward and struck the curb again before finally coming to rest.

When officers arrived, of course he started the car and wanted to drive away. They informed him that was not going to happen. We still don’t know what he hit with the driver’s side of the car, as it was dented and scratched over the entire length of the car — maybe a guard rail earlier in the night?

The driver was taken to jail for DUI.

Law enforcement really does care

Here is an example of both the difficulty law enforcement everywhere is having in relation to mental illness, and our improvements in our response to it.

Thursday night, a nurse and the security staff at the hospital were trying to move a woman who had been brought there after being arrested by our department. She needed to be moved to a different exam room as she was yelling and causing alarm to other patients.

When she refused, they appropriately entered the room to place her on a gurney. She became extremely combative and spit in the faces and eyes of nurses and staff. She then bit a staff member.

She stated she panicked when the staff entered the room because of her mental health issues and “blacked out.” She even apologized for the incident. She was booked into jail on assault charges.

It is not OK to assault staff at any medical facility, and they were doing everything right, so she should be charged. At the same time, the responding officer, Tim Garrity, is one of our specially trained Crisis Intervention Officers and he went out of his way to send a message to the Prosecutor’s Office, which said, in part:

“I arrested this subject last night for assault for biting a nurse at the hospital. The woman suffers from PTSD and other serious mental health issues. She is currently under the care of a mental-health professional in Seattle and has been seeing her for about five years.

“According to her, she has never been arrested before. She seemed confused about the court process and how it all works. Can you let her defense attorney know she does not like to be touched physically? I have found if I spoke to her slowly and in a calm voice, she remained cooperative with me. Tim.”

The prosecutor sent me that email, along with this comment:

“This email is one of the most impactful, ‘out-of-the-way’ responses I’ve seen, maybe ever. What a huge reflection it is on Tim’s professionalism and dedication to his job. I really wish we could publish this out to our community with the tag line, ‘See? Law enforcement really does care.’ My sincerest kudos to Tim.”

I agree and I am sending it out to our community. Tim is one of many officers that do their job this way — compassionately and professionally.

Giving blood is always a good idea

You likely read about the vigil held at Evergreen Park last week following the shooting in Orlando, Florida.

One of the things people said they wanted to do following the Orlando mass shooting was to give blood. Good idea, but it’s always a good idea, not just after tragic incidents. Below is the information to give blood anytime locally:

Bloodworks Northwest Silverdale Donation Center
3230 NW Randall Way
Silverdale, WA 98383

Or, to find a blood drive near you or for questions about eligibility call or visit:

1-800-398-7888 ext. 2 or www.bloodworksnw.org/drives.

Blood is needed every day. Volunteer donations support many patients for a variety of reasons, the main ones being:

— Trauma injuries/burns

— Cancer

— Blood and immune system diseases

— Surgery

— Heart and blood vessel disease

— Organ and bone marrow transplantation

— Bremerton Police Chief Steven Strachan