Community members interested in getting a behind-the-scenes look into the Pullman Police Department can soon sign up for a 10-week Citizen Police Academy.
The Pullman Police Advisory Committee is working with Pullman PD to plan 10 sessions that will run 2.5 hours each. Department staff will lead the presentations, ranging in topics from code enforcement to public records, said committee chair Stephanie Rink.
“We’re going to try to touch on as many aspects of the Pullman Police Department and law enforcement as we can,” Pullman PD Chief Gary Jenkins said.
For example, patrol officers will talk about a typical day in their job. Jenkins said staff will also speak about criminal procedures, use of force and investigative processes.
The Pullman Police Advisory Committee brainstormed ideas for a community survey to collect input about known areas of success and improvement for the Pullman Police Department.
David Makin, committee member and WSU associate professor of criminal justice and criminology, said the survey could focus on the public’s view of policing or it could take a narrower approach on specific police interactions.
The committee agreed the survey should collect data from Pullman residents who have had direct contact with police officers.
Direct contact could include being pulled over, being a victim of a crime or dialing 911, Makin said. The survey would have a section to submit the badge number of the officer.
WSU criminal justice and criminology graduate and doctoral students are partnering up with the Pullman Police Department to devise a mental health field response program.
Pullman Police Chief Gary Jenkins said the intended outcome is to combine law enforcement officers with mental health professionals to better resolve mental health calls.
“We want to be able to work together and provide that mental health component much earlier in the intervention,” Jenkins said.
David Makin, WSU associate professor of criminal justice and criminology, said he approached Jenkins at the Reimagining Public Safety in Pullman Virtual Summit last year to discuss potential research project ideas for his students.
The Pullman Police Advisory Committee will tackle discussions on mental health and will provide updates concerning the Pullman Police Department’s Citizen Police Academy during its virtual monthly meeting at 5:30 p.m. March 8.
Mike Berney, executive director of Palouse River Counseling, will be the mental health guest speaker. He said he will provide an overview of how mental health crises are addressed in the community. This includes how PRC staff work with officers and other first responders during debriefing sessions.
“[Mental health] is really a very wide continuum of potential issues,” he said.
Berney said he will also discuss the state’s Involuntary Treatment Act and its connection to mental health crises.