Inmates thank
Brouillette for
showing care
“It’s not the gift, rather the
thought that counts” is an ex
cuse normally associated with
those who aren’t able to afford
an expensive gift. But, what
does a person do if he or she is
locked up in a prison cell? The
answer lies in the office of Jim
Brouillette, law enforcement
instructor.
Last
Wednesday,
Brouillette traveled with his In
troduction to Law Enforcement
class down to the state peniten
tiary to give them insight into
prisons. What he never ex
pected was obtaining some in
sight into the prisoners.
Much to his surprise, the
prisoners presented the ex
Portland Deputy Chief of
Police with an 8 x 10 wooden
plaque, commemorating his ef
fort to bring 400-500 children
of Portland area prisoners
together for a Christmas party
last year; an event that would
not have taken place were it
not for Brouillette.
Portland City Commis
sioner Charles Jordan and
Brouillette travelled to Salem
two years ago and that is when
Brouillette got his idea for the
party that took a year to
become reality. Brouillette,
father of three, said this was a
way of showing college
students that prisoners have
children too. The party plann
ed for 1981 Christmas will in
volve students as servers and
providing entertainment
Brouillette presented his
idea for a party to the
prisoners. “When they realized
that we weren’t just blowing
smoke, they became in
terested,” he said, “ft was
perhaps the first time the
prisoners received a warm
reception from the police.”
Brouillette was with the
police force for 27 years and
has worked with inmates for
the last two years. He feels the
Oregon correctional institutions
are well run. ‘There are ways
of allowing prisoners to vent
aggressions in the Oregon
prisons^”
The last seven years with
the Portland police left
Brouillette with the job of depu
ty chief in charge of patrol.
“When I was deputy chief, we
put an officer in every school to
show the students that there
NAVY
are alternative channels other
than crime and violence to get
something,” he said.
On Sept. 14 of this year,
he left the force forthe oppor
tunity to coordinate the law en
forcement programs at the Col
lege. “My role is growing and
expanding the law enforce
ment training courses at the
College,” he said.
One thing Brouillette has
yet to lace is budget cuts. He
sees a renewed interest in law
enforcement through the large
amounts of people signing up
for courses, through the sup
port of the college Board of
Education, Assistant dean of
public services, business, audio
visual and library. ‘The support
all the way down the line is
evidence that the community
wants a strong police force,”he “MY ROLE IS growing and expanding the law enforcement training courses at the
said.
College,” said law enforce ment instructor Jim Brouillette.
Students risk annual blood-letting
Lots of smiles.
The nurses attending the
blood donors smiled. An elder
ly woman pouring cups of
orange juice smiled. Smiling
were the bodies lying on “lawn
chairs”.
At Friday’s blood drive in
the Community Center lounge,
81 people donated a pint of
Hood surpassing the Red Cross
quota of 76 pints. The
American Association of
Retired Persons assisted Red
Cross representatives with the
Hood drive.
I was the 78th blood
donor. After a brief wait in line,
a senior volunteer gave me a
health information form. I sat
next to a young woman who
was apparently a veteran of
Hood donating. As I filled out
the form she told me how
“easy and painless” it was to
give blood. ‘This is my sixth
time”, she chirped, ft was my
first.
The health information
form screens out those who
should not give blood. Donors
are asked such questions as'
“Are you feeling well today?”
or “Have you ever had
! hepatitis, malaria or jaundice”.
Unfortunately, cowardice was
not included.
Next, a registered nurse
took my temperature, pulse
and blood pressure. Deftly the
nurse punctured my earlobe.
The blood sample was placed
on a slender glass rod and held
over a vial of transparent blue
liquid. The nurse, explained
that if the drop of blood floated
in the vial, I was anemic and
could not give blood.
Despite my diet of coffee
and candy bars, I was not
anemic. The nurse tipped the
glass rod, the Hood drop hit
the surface of the blue liquid,
and sank.
Elated, I went to the table
where “kits” were being assign
ed. The kits contain the needle,
tubing, and the plastic bag in
which blood is collected. ‘Tve
donated almost a whole gallon
of blood,” said the woman
ahead of me.
“How
wonderful,” exclaimed a senior
volunteer. “Have some orange
juice,” she said. I was assigned
a kit and I sat down and
waited. The orange juice need
ed vodka.
After a long wait of three
or four minutes, I was told that
‘it was time.” I took the long
walk to the chair.
The Chair looked like a
brown plastic lawn recliner with
VETERANS
Late openings
honorably discharged
less th
veterans
48 months. Get improved pay
and benefits.
’s pay raise was 11.7% and a
sizable per
cted this year. There are other
advant
of the NAVY now. For
hformation call:
800-452-5554 Toll Free
NAVY. ITS NOT JUST A JOB, IT’S AN ADVENTURE.
pag«4
one armrest. The nurse was a
bespectacled attractive woman
who looked calm and ex
perienced. I was seated and the
nurse explained she was going
to scrub a small spot on my
forearm. ‘This sound scares
some people,” the nurse said.
“POP’-The disinfectant packet
made a disturbingly sharp noise
when the nurse tore it open.
She asked me if I was wor
ried. Since pride is a sin, I said
“yes.” Promptly, my head was
lowered and my feet were
elevated, “ft’s easier this way,”
the nurse said. She did not
have to explain that I was in
full-chicken position.
“You have nice big veins,
there shouldn’t be any pro
Hem, the nurse said. Returning
the compliment did not seem
appropriate. Then she stuck
me. “ft’s in,” the nurse said.
“You can uncurl your toes.”
Giving blood does not hurt
after the initial harpooning.
However, it is hard to remain
charming when one’s feet are
stuck in the air and one’s life
giving blood is spurting out
through a plastic tube inserted
in one’s arm. At this time, it is
quite- ‘gauche’ to run away.
I squeezed on the rubber
ball to take my mind off
Heeding. A senior volunteer
talked with me about my plans
after college, to put me at ease.
I was afraid to squeeze the rub
ber ball too tight, for I might
How the tubing out of my arm
or something.
The muse was supportive
and soothing. “You’re doing
great, the bags about a third
full, and you’re almost done,”
she said. But I couldn’t help
thinking, What if there was a lit
tle hole in the bag?
{Remember: “You’re almost
done...")
I was assured that a leak in
the collecting bag would be
discovered right away. The
nurse also said that the humai
body can absorb the loss of on<
pint of blood very easily an<
that the dizziness and nause
some people experience is
purely psychological. I wa
glad that I was not really sick to
my stomach and lightheaded. 1
just thought I was.
About this time AS(
President Sam Crosby cam
over and looked down on m
pale face. Sam smiled and sai
T really appreciate what you’n
doing!”
I hung on. In a fa
minutes I had donated a to
pint. The swollen bag looked
like one of those odd-ball cuts
Of meat that supermarkets
leave out for the kids to look at
I did feel a certain sentiments
attachment to my pint. Mucl
more than I would have felt foi
anonymous pork kidneys.
The nurse carefully pullet
the tubing out of my arm,
which stung momentarily. Ifel
like I had a slight case of ai
sickness. Fortunately after i
few minutes of lying with my
head down I felt better.
A nice elderly woman led
me away to the restorative
cookies and juice. She told me
to walk slow and easy because
she didn’t want me to pass out
half-way there and fell on my
face. This image of an elderly
woman leading a young mai
is, I suppose, a way to get evei
with die Boy Scouts.
As I sat on a couch an
chewed through an oatmei
cookie, I noticed that the othe
Hood donors looked a Ht tiret
but cheerfuL Most people g
through the experienc
donating Hood without an
complications. I was luci
enough to be the exception,
friend of mine gave me a con
pliment later that day. - “Yo
don’t look well at all, Mike”.
Clackamas Community Colle