Community Resource Officer to wear many hats
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POLSON — Polson Police Officer Chris Wright has a new assignment: he’ll serve as Community Resource Officer.
According to a press release from Polson Police Assistant Chief Clint Cottle, Wright is in the process of identifying neighborhoods interested in starting a Neighborhood Watch Program and then acting as an advisor for them.
Three other programs Wright will be in charge of are a citizens’ academy, police volunteer programs and home and business crime inspections.
As well as these programs, Wright said the PPD will get much more involved in the school system and form partnerships with the community.
Wright and other officers will be visiting the schools and talking to children about community awareness and stranger danger. For young kids, Wright also will discuss misuse of 911 and safely crossing streets on their way home from school.
Wright also hopes to get the Eddie Eagle National Rifle Association Gun Safety Program up and running, not just for Polson children, but for kids from all over the Mission Valley.
Wright wants to get the citizens’ academy started this fall or winter.
“Our goal is to tailor it to the community’s desires and wants,” Wright said, adding that the academy will also be geared towards dispelling myths and informing the public.
The volunteer program would connect community members who want to volunteer with necessities that need to be done.
“It’s a work in progress,” Wright said, citing examples such as clerical duties, traffic control, security for certain events, parking assistance and vacation checks as possibilities.
The community resource officer position will provide him with an opportunity to go ahead and get the community involved, Wright said.
