172536_CPCA_2020_Spring Magazine - Final | Page 35

Placentia Police Officers delivering groceries to Phyllis, a Placentia resident.
Placentia Night Watch Officers enjoy a meal provided by the PPD Support Team.
ment officers to offer support and celebrate
his special day. Joshy has courageously
battled Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. The
family’s spirits were lifted from this gathering
of members from allied agencies, and this
birthday celebration is one everyone in attendance
will not soon forget.
Another notable community event was a
large drive by appreciation for Placentia
Linda Hospital, a community hospital located
in Placentia. Several Placentia and surrounding
cities residents organized this drive by
event to honor hospital staff ’s commitment
to public health. The Placentia Police Department
participated and led the drive by
procession with over 100 vehicles. Additionally,
there was a large group of supporters
throughout the parking lot that joined
the appreciation, cheering on hospital staff.
Like many of you, we found COVID -19
challenged us to provide a higher level of
problem solving. We experienced new situations,
which have worked to enhance
our community outreach. One of these
examples came when a 93-year-oldresident,
named Phyllis, called, and explained that she
was unable to get groceries delivered and
did not have anyone to help her. Groceries
had to be temporarily ordered online for
delivery, rather than her preferred method
of placing her order by phone. Two of
our officers went to her residence, and
after introducing themselves, they took it
upon themselves to shop and pay for her
groceries, They made her day, but more importantly,
their actions assured Phyllis that
she was not alone in this crisis.
We also must give our community policing
partners credit for their generous contributions
they have made to support PPD.
One example occurred shortly after social
distancing guidelines were recommended.
We received a large donation of cloth
face coverings for our personnel. We were
contacted through our Facebook page by the
North OC Masks for First Responders group.
Being a local group of residents, they make
masks for the area’s first responders. They
made the masks by hand and donated more
than 23,000 masks to our local hospitals, fire
departments, and law enforcement agencies
As mentioned earlier, the Department is
fortunate to have its own support team.
The PPD Support Team originated from a
dedicated group of community residents that
have participated in our citizen’s academy
and subsequently have stayed on as policing
partners. Pictured below is a common occurrence
where the support team provides
meals to on-duty personnel. The support
team is attentive to assisting wherever they
can, and they stay active in promoting the
good work of the Department.
All these acts of kindness warm our officers’
hearts. It reminds us that others care for our
well-being and appreciate our service. We
have also learned that even serious challenges
like a pandemic should be viewed as opportunities
for growth and to enhance our
legitimacy with the community.
A Placentia Police Officer presents “story time”
during police week.
SPRING 2020 | CALIFORNIA POLICE CHIEF 35