Increased drug use means increased drug recognition training

With the changes in marijuana laws and increase in use of drugs like heroin and Spice, some of our officers have had extra training in drug recognition.

It isn’t just a matter of smelling alcohol anymore; it is way more complicated.

This week, officers were dispatched to a man “slumped over the wheel” of his car, which was halfway into the road near 15th Street and Callow. Corporal Steven Polonsky and Officer John Bogen contacted the man, who was staring at his dashboard by the time they got there.

The man said, “You can’t talk to me; I’m safely off the roadway.” (He definitely was not.) After some scintillating conversation, it was clear to Corporal Polonsky the man was under the influence of something, but he was pretty sure it was not alcohol.

Corporal Polonsky requested a State Trooper with drug recognition training to come out, and he concluded the man was under the influence. The man was arrested by the State Patrol.

Dog-bite day

You may have seen a story about a pit bull attack elsewhere in Kitsap County this week, and Monday was Dog-Bite Day here in Bremerton.

A 76-year-old man reached over a fence to pet a German Shepherd on Fourth Street and received a large laceration on his hand. The yard was clearly marked and fenced so that incident was chalked up as a “lesson learned” for the man.

Later in the day, a pit bull apparently got out of an apartment and went into a nearby fenced area with horses. The dog chased the horses and caused a large vertical laceration on one leg before the dog was kicked by the other horse, causing minor injuries to the dog.

When officers and Animal Control arrived, the owner of the dog came rushing out and demanded his dog be returned immediately. As officers investigated, he shouted obscenities at them while the neighbors started to gather around to shout at the man for previous incidents of his dog harassing and scaring their children.

The man was charged with several violations by Animal Control, and it was made clear that the situation will need to change. The dog is lucky the horses didn’t kill him.

Above and beyond courtesy is appreciated

I received a couple of great thank-you notes this week I wanted to pass along. The first was from one of our Bremerton firefighters:

“Chief, we appreciate and commend the efforts of Corporal J.D. Miller. Yesterday, a vehicle was noted to be driven erratically near Sixth and Warren. Corporal Miller found the 31-year-old male driver to have altered mental state and also noted that Insulin and syringes were in the car.

“Suspecting that the driver was diabetic (which was later confirmed), Corporal Miller went to the nearby Burger King and purchased orange juice for the patient. The patient was able to take the orange juice and come out of his diabetic reaction. We were able to continue this course of treatment. Please extend our gratitude.”

Also this past week, we received the below note from a woman who had called us for a problem with harassment:

“I wanted to take the time to show my appreciation for one of your officers while it is fresh on my mind.

“Officer Joshua Stottlemyer visited my home this morning in response to an incident I was reporting. I’ll start with briefly mentioning that I have had plenty of experiences with law enforcement, from both sides of the fence, all the while learning to appreciate the dynamic hardships officers endure while trying to precariously balance individual rights with the pursuit of justice.

“Officer Stottlemyer didn’t have to go out of his way to be incredibly courteous, professional and understanding — it came naturally for him. He responded with fairness and respect for everyone involved and simultaneously reassured me that I was protected and that my issue mattered.

“His demeanor is refreshing and I am thankful that Officer Stottlemyer has chosen to serve and protect our community. We are blessed to have him. Thank you.”

Article shows why police departments are necessary

Betty Reid Soskin (born Betty Charbonnet; 1921) is a Park ranger with the National Park Service, assigned to the Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond, California. National Park Service photo

Finally, I wanted to share a newspaper article and share a few comments about it.

A few years ago, my wife and I visited the Rosie the Riveter National Historic Park, which is just across the bay from San Francisco. The park highlights the massive effort during World War II to build ships and create the “Arsenal of Democracy” that helped win the war.

The really interesting part of the park is the history not only of the war effort, but how the disruptive elements of the war changed society.

Formerly segregated jobs and areas became integrated, partly out of social progress but mostly our of practical necessity and need for workers. Large numbers of African-American workers migrated from the south and led to massive social change. There are a lot of analogies to Bremerton, with the demographic and social changes that accompanied the war here in our area, as well.

One of the most fascinating parts of our tour was a talk from a Park Ranger. Her name is Betty Reid Soskin. She is 94 years old, and she is the oldest Park Ranger in America.

She spoke about her own experience, and the fact that as a young woman moving from New Orleans, she had exactly two career opportunities available to her — getting married or being a domestic servant.

When the war started and the demand for workers exceeded available people, she had the opportunity to become a payroll clerk at the plant.

It is almost inconceivable for us to understand it now, but she expressed so effectively the massive paradigm shift the war created for her and her generation, and how it completely changed the world. She was one generation from slaves in her family, and she was invited to the inauguration of President Obama, and all of that occurred in her lifetime.

She is a very cool lady and I am lucky to have been able to hear her speak. She does not sugarcoat any of the stories, and she presents both the highs and lows of the social change she experienced. I highly recommend the park, particularly if you have kids, if you are in that area.

I mention it because this week an intruder broke into her home, severely beat her and stole a number of items, including a commemorative coin she had received directly from President Obama. (To view the Washington Post article, visit www.wapo.st/29bt5TF.)

The story will make you shake your head, and that is my point.

As we talk about police accountability and transparency, and focus on our general distrust of government and institutions, we sometimes need to remind ourselves that there are really bad people out there doing really bad things. That is why we have police departments and why we, as officers, need to do our jobs well.

The thought of this guy striking this proud 94-year-old lady, who has done so much with her life, so he can go get a heroin fix or a few dollars makes all of us angry. And it should.

Just in our area, we saw a group of drug addicts and criminals break into the home of 89-year-old Archie Hood near Silverdale to steal his money. They killed him, then drove around getting more people to help hide his body.

As a police chief, I understand that I see things from a specific perspective. However, as we have a good national discussion about police accountability and transparency, I hope we also keep in mind that there are some really bad, evil people out there, and our law-enforcement officers all across the country are working each day to hold them accountable as well.

— Bremerton Police Chief Steven Strachan