DECEMBER 31, 2021, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A7
years in the Marine Corps. After
doing a number of odd jobs for two
years, he was invited by a friend, who
was a reserve for the Jeff erson Police
Department, to go on a ride along.
It wasn’t long before Jeff erson
became a reserve himself, and in 1993,
Jeff erson, ironically became a full-
time offi cer for the Jeff erson Police
Department. Although the pay was
minimal, Jeff erson felt like he found
his calling.
“I did it for $7.58 per hour, but I
thought it was the greatest thing ever
because I was doing the job that I
wanted to do,” Jeff erson said. “I loved
the camaraderie and teamwork that
you get in law enforcement.”
Towards the end of 1994, Jeff erson
accepted a job with the Newport
Police Department, where he served
four years before being hired by KPD
in 1998, which is where he felt like he
found his niche.
Jeff erson was assigned to the K9
unit when he transitioned to KPD.
Despite not having professional expe-
rience, he had developed a passion for
dog-training years prior.
Wilson, Jeff erson’s former men-
tor, and his wife had a passion for
schutzhund — a dog sport that tests a
dog's tracking, obedience, and protec-
tion skills, and evaluates if a dog has
the appropriate traits and characteris-
tics of a good working dog.
Jeff erson became a fan of the sport,
and soon developed a relationship with
a trainer, who began to show him the
ropes.
"It was something that I really
enjoyed. I found a passion with these
working dogs,” Jeff erson said.
Jeff erson spent his fi rst 12 years at
KPD with the K9 unit. After taking a
break to serve with the traffi c team for
fi ve years, he returned to the K9 crew
in 2016.
Since working with the K9 unit
requires almost exclusively grave-
yard and weekend shifts, Jeff erson
is extremely grateful to have a wife,
Anna, a lieutenant with Marion County
Sheriff ’s Department, that is sensitive
to his quirky schedule — the two have
been married since 2018.
“She has one of the more dynamic
understandings of what we do in our
work,” Jeff erson said.
Becoming a part of a K9 unit
involves a beginning course with the
dog and offi cer that lasts for six weeks
and features training together, learn-
ing to trust one another and making
sure the dog is responding to what is
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Saluting the people that make us proud of our community
being asked of them.
“When you’re working a dog, you
have to learn how to trust what you
are seeing the dog telling you, through
body language and behaviors,”
Jeff erson said.
After initial training is completed,
the K9 and the offi cer get certifi ed, but
will still meet with a group of handlers
weekly to further their training.
According to Jeff erson, the training
for a police K9 is constant. Even during
a graveyard shift, Jeff erson would do
quick 15-minute drills with the dog to
help him stay sharp
“The training is nonstop,” Jeff erson
said.
Throughout his tenure with KPD,
Jeff erson has gotten a front-row seat to
the asset that a highly trained K-9 can
bring to the police force. Whether it’s
tracking down a suspect running away
from the scene of the crime, or using
their heightened sense of smell to fi nd
and apprehend a lawbreaker in the
dead of night, police dogs played a cru-
cial role in the department’s operation.
“When it’s dark, that is where the
dog’s nose is such an asset and tool.
It’s amazing to watch these dogs work,”
Jeff erson said. “I have a lot of cops say
to me, ‘I cannot believe your dog took
us right to where they were.’ It’s usually
guys that are new, and once they have
seen a good dog team work, they are
believers.”
Jeff erson says that the dogs are not
only useful for capturing suspects or
sniffi ng out drug paraphernalia, but
also comforting victims in their time
of need.
“You are able to use the dogs in dif-
ferent ways. They are a hell of a tool for
victims. If you have a young kid that is
scared and you introduce a dog that he
can pet, it’s a way to connect with peo-
ple in need, because most people love
dogs,” Jeff erson said. “Our dogs are
so highly trained. They are like a light
switch.”
Jeff erson said the pinnacle of his
career was when he and his dog, Buster,
were given an assignment with the
Salem SWAT team. Despite the extra
hours and responsibility, he jumped at
the opportunity.
presented
by
Jefferson gives Buster a hug on their last day in the patrol car.
“I was just humbled by the fact
that they wanted us to take that role,
because that role, in the K9 world, is
reaching the pinnacle. Everyone rec-
ognizes that you are doing it right,”
Jeff erson said.
While Jeff erson takes great pride
in the three decades of work he did as
a police offi cer, he also recognizes the
many diffi cult aspects of the job he has
had to endure over his 30 years as a
cop.
“What Keizer PD does really well is
protecting citizens from knowing some
of the things that go on in this sleepy
town. That’s our job, to protect people
and protect them from feeling scared or
threatened. We make people feel safe,”
Jeff erson said. “It’s a lot of trauma. You
take someone that has worked more
Submitted photo
than 20 years in that career fi eld, they
are going to feel that trauma pretty reg-
ularly, and it’s going to be important to
take care of those people.”
Jeff erson said that one of the hard-
est things he has had to experience as
an offi cer was when he performed CPR
on an unconscious child on two sepa-
rate occasions but was unable to resus-
citate them.
“Cops are really good about com-
partmentalizing trauma. We box it up,
that way we can go to the next call
where a 70-year old woman had her
identity stolen. You have to put on a
face and empathize and make them
feel that they matter, but what they
don’t know is that 10 minutes before
See JEFFERSON, page A8