20
Wednesday, August 28, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Of a certain
AGE
Sue Stafford
Columnist
Safety in a
small town
I remember when I moved
to Sisters over 15 years ago,
I felt like I was on perma-
nent vacation. The weather
that summer was idyllic.
The excitement of settling
into my new home, freshly
updated, provided joy every
day. People took time to stop
and talk and were welcom-
ing to a newcomer.
Little time was needed to
assimilate into this charm-
ing little town. Having
lived the previous 33 years
in Bellevue and Kirkland,
Washington, the concept of
living in a town of 1,183 cit-
izens (2004 pop.) was wel-
come relief from the grow-
ing congestion and explod-
ing development just getting
started in the Puget Sound
area.
Although I never felt
unsafe over those 33 years
in downtown Bellevue or
Kirkland, and certainly not in
my own home, I experienced
a new sense of freedom and
safety living in Sisters. And
for the most part, I still feel
safe and secure, although I
have decided it is prudent to
lock my front door and my
car in town. Those times I
forget, I come back to every-
thing just as I left it.
I remember being pleas-
antly aware after moving
here that the local evening
news for Central Oregon
contained very little mention
of violent or drug-related
crimes, serious property
crimes, or bodily harm to
residents. As the area has
experienced rapid growth
over the last decade, the
news is now more often lit-
tered with stories of large
drug busts, murder, robbery,
sexual abuse, and other sor-
did activities within the tri-
county area.
Here in Sisters, I still feel
safe and somewhat immune
to crimes plaguing the wider
region. We have our occa-
sional law enforcement stop
of criminals caught driving
through Sisters. There have
been spates of car prowls
and home burglaries, graf-
fiti, an arson fire, and I can
recall one murder of a local
resident committed by a man
not from Sisters.
Traffic violations are
probably at the top of infrac-
tions encountered by the
Deschutes County Sheriff9s
officers patrolling the city.
There are reports of domes-
tic disturbances, parole vio-
lations, shoplifting, mental
health crises, illegal drug
activities, and misdemeanor
charges. Sisters is inhabited
by human beings and wher-
ever we settle, some level of
<illegal activity= is bound to
occur.
My personal experience
with public safety in Sisters
is full of stories like the
following, pointing to the
goodness of Sisters residents
and the beauty of living in a
small town.
One rodeo weekend a
few years back, I drove into
town to join friends at the
Saturday-morning parade
down Cascade Avenue. I
parked my car on the south
side of town around Larch
and Washington and walked
up to meet everyone at the
corner of Cascade and Larch,
where the parade turns north.
I was having everyone
to lunch at my house after
the parade, before we went
to the 1 p.m. rodeo. I left
before the parade was totally
over in order to pick up the
sandwiches I had ordered
at Ray9s Food Place. As I
pulled into the parking lot at
Ray9s my cell phone rang.
The woman on the other
end asked if I was Susan
Stafford, to which I replied
in the affirmative. The caller
informed me she had found
my coin purse lying on the
ground on Larch Street and
wanted me to know she had
it. I hadn9t even realized yet
I didn9t have it on me. It had
been in my lap as I drove
to town and I must have
stepped out of my car with-
out realizing it dropped. It
contained my money, bank
debit card, driver9s license,
gas credit card, and sev-
eral other minor cards. The
driver9s license provided my
name but nowhere was my
cell phone number listed,
leading me to ask how she
found my number.
The caller worked in
the dining room at Aspen
Lakes where I had dinner
reservations Saturday night.
She remembered seeing my
name on the reservations
sheet and called the restau-
rant to get my phone num-
ber. I was utterly amazed at
the synchronicity and even
more at the unwavering hon-
esty of this young woman.
After thanking her pro-
fusely for calling, I asked
how I might retrieve my
errant coin purse. She said
she was working the dinner
shift that evening at Brand
33 and would have it for
me then if I didn9t need it
sooner.
My out-of-town guests
who were here from the
valley for the rodeo got to
see first-hand one of the
many reasons I love living
in Sisters. It is a safe small
town where most people are
thoughtful, kind, and honest.
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