The Sumner Police Department is working toward maintaining its goal of keeping the community safe by partnering with a variety of community groups and involving residents in studies and other safety activities, Sumner Police Chief John Galle said.
By providing more information and resources to the community, residents can help protect themselves from feeling unsafe and becoming victims, Galle said.
“We want to interrupt that cycle,” he said.
Part of the department’s mission statement reads “to make (Sumner) a safe place where all people can live safely and without fear.”
Galle has met with Safe Streets officials to help identify what the department can do better to help residents feel safe, he said. Later this year, that partnership will aid in identifying specific neighborhoods and concerns as well as a plan to meet those needs.
The department is already partnered with United Way Pierce County 211, a county hotline referral service that provides community resources for inquiries about subjects such as counseling, identity theft, bullying or burglaries, Galle said.
One step taken last year toward the department’s goal was a survey with officers, city officials and residents. The Western Regional Institute for Community Oriented Public Safety (WRICOPS) conducted the study with the goal of helping the department develop a strategic plan.
Questions in the study included “What do you value about living/working in Sumner?” and “How safe do you feel in Sumner?” as well as questions about what could be changed and improved.
The official results of the study aren’t yet available in a condensed format, but a presentation by WRICOPS last year revealed some positive findings. For example, some residents said the police department is friendly and approachable.
Goals WRICOPS suggested ranged from training and reviewing protocol to encouraging community involvement in safety activities such as block watches and the annual Citizens Academy.
“I think it was a good first step for us,” Galle said.
Residents expect solutions from police, so the department is doing what it can to branch out and develop a network of even more resources, he said.
“Too often, the police department operates in a vacuum,” he said.
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