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There is an old saying that you don\u2019t really know another person\u2019s life until you \u201cwalk a mile in their shoes.\u201d I didn\u2019t exactly walk in the shoes of our Sheriff\u2019s department last week, but I got awfully close.<\/p>\n
Thanks to Sergeant Mike Blair, I had the opportunity to join him, Sergeant Jason Youngman and the Central Patrol Graveyard Shift deputies last week.\u00a0 They are out on patrol, covering the densely populated parts of unincorporated Pierce County \u2013 Parkland, Spanaway, Midland, Frederickson, South Hill and more \u2013 while most of us are soundly sleeping.<\/p>\n
My ride-along began at 8 p.m. and lasted until 3:30 a.m. And, while I\u2019ve had the opportunity to ride with our Sheriff\u2019s Department before, this was my first time seeing our county in the middle of the night. There is a saying (and a \u201cHow I met Your Mother\u201d episode title: Season 1 episode 18) \u201cnothing good happens after 2AM\u201d – that is the world where these deputies serve.<\/p>\n
Talking with Sergeant Blair before turnout, he told me the vast majority of the calls tonight would likely be mental health, drug, or alcohol-related.\u00a0 He was right.<\/p>\n
During the shift, I saw our deputies respond to a variety of these situations.\u00a0 In each one, they had to keep everyone safe, assess the situation, and determine the best course of action \u2013 for the person and the community.\u00a0 One man with mental illness at Walmart was determined to be a threat to himself and was transported for a further mental health review. Another was suicidal walking along Meridian \u2013 clearly a danger to himself, the community, and our deputies. Fortunately, they were able to safely apprehend him and get him to help.\u00a0 Another woman was intoxicated and lying in the street in Parkland. After a medical review by Central Pierce Fire, our deputies drove her to her home four blocks away. There were at least four incidents that night where the individuals were involuntarily committed.<\/p>\n
It was hard to see so many people in our community clearly in distress, and that was during just one night. I am thankful for how our deputies responded and it reinforced my commitment to expanding our behavioral health services in Pierce County \u2013 and the supports for our first responders. The deputies of Central Patrol are looking forward to the new Crisis Recovery Center (CRC) in Parkland opening \u2013 Recovery Innovations is in the final phase of hiring their staff. The CRC will provide them a key resource, close to where it is needed, to help people in crisis.\u00a0 But we have more work to do.<\/p>\n
In a similar vein, I appreciated hearing an anecdote that Chief Patti Jackson-Kidder shared with me a few days ago. Here\u2019s an excerpt from her email (shared with her permission!)<\/p>\n
I am hopeful you would consider a short blip in your blog about our Jail Admin OA Gayle Carolus \u2026 Gayle has been a part of our PC Family since 1995 and working specifically for the Corrections Bureau for the past 4.5 years.\u00a0 As you\u2019re well aware, the jail is not the most positive place in Pierce County \u2026 you\u2019d never know it by the numerous fans that literally come out of their way to meet the face behind the voice\u2026 a couple examples \u2026 the young UPS delivery driver who brough his family \u2013 yes his FAMILY \u2013 up to meet Gayle; and an inmate\u2019s family (on campus) to observe their sons\u2019 murder trial who stopped up here to meet Gayle and thank her for her service \u2026. The list is long!!!!\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Gayle is an AMAZING representative of our Department and what SERVICE really stands for.\u00a0Although Gayle was not selected as our 2020 OA of the Year, she is definitely the BEST in our eyes!!!! <\/em><\/p>\n Gayle, I love this \u201cselfie\u201d of you with some fans! I\u2019m grateful for the kindness and warmth with which you treat everyone. Thank you for serving all of our residents so well!<\/p>\n It\u2019s no secret that\u2019s a challenging time to be in law enforcement. We are fortunate to have amazing professionals protecting and serving our Pierce County community.<\/p>\n Thanks for reading,<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bruce<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There is an old saying that you don\u2019t really know another person\u2019s life until you \u201cwalk a mile in their shoes.\u201d I didn\u2019t exactly walk in the shoes of our Sheriff\u2019s department last week, but I got awfully close. Thanks to Sergeant Mike Blair, I had the opportunity to join him, Sergeant Jason Youngman […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":3014,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[38509],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/executive\/files\/2021\/06\/Gayle-C-and-the-Twins-Selfie.jpg\")
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