10
MAY 15, 2020
Smoke Signals
No documents touched during traffic stops
POLICE continued
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needs to self-quarantine.”
Another operational change has
been made at the police station
itself. When an employee needs
to be there to fill out paperwork
or catalogue evidence, doors to all
offices remain closed.
“We have as many people work-
ing remotely as possible in order
to keep others from potentially
getting sick,” McKnight says.
Additionally, there is a laundry
area at the station where patrol
officers can wash their uniforms
immediately after finishing a
shift.
If an officer believes they have
been exposed to coronavirus, the
department has purchased vehicle
sanitizer to use.
“We really want to
make sure everyone
is taking showers
and doing what they
need to do,” McK-
night says.
He says the risk
of contracting
COVID-19 was driv-
en home a few weeks
before the pandemic
hit when one staff
member caught a
cold and soon everyone in the office
was sick.
“I made a decision then to change
everyone’s schedules in the of-
fice, but kept patrol schedules the
same,” he says. “We are doing the
best we can to distance from each
other, but still doing our jobs to the
best of our ability.”
Changes also have been made
Photos by Timothy J. Gonzalez
Tribal Police Officer Tyler Brown monitors traffic along Highway 18 on
Friday, May 8. Tribal police officers are wearing masks and gloves while
encountering members of the public during the course of their duties.
At left, Brown works on his
laptop during a traffic stop.
during traffic stops. Instead of
asking a driver to hand over their
license and registration, Tribal po-
lice officers are now looking at the
documents without touching them
and writing information down.
“Right from the get-go, I made an
immediate policy change to not take
documents,” McKnight says.
Another change involves search
procedures in a suspect’s home.
“If the person has a small bag
of marijuana, we’re not going to
endanger an officer or others to go
inside,” he says. “But if it’s a felony
issue, we would do everything we
needed to resolve it. We still do pur-
suits and apprehend those who are
driving recklessly, but so far there
have been no major incidents.”
McKnight says the biggest up-
tick in calls are those dealing with
domestic violence, although most
have been verbal abuse in nature
instead of physical abuse.
“In every (call) situation, we have
to evaluate the risk to the officer’s
safety,” he says.
McKnight’s department includes
a lieutenant, sergeant, four officers
and a records/evidence clerk.
“Everyone has been pretty posi-
tive,” he says. “Some of the (officers)
don’t have kids and they’re young
… but once we talked to them, they
understood (the importance) of the
situation.”
With the closure of Spirit Moun-
tain Casino due to COVID-19 and
the statewide shelter-in-place
order, the need for Tribal police
response, particularly to calls that
involve driving infractions, has
been reduced. Additionally, events
where police are invited to attend
have all been canceled.
“My officers are getting a bit
bored,” McKnight says. “They are
proactive and want to be in the
community, so it’s taken awhile to
adjust. But the good part is we’ve
been able to complete a lot of need-
ed online training.”
And his advice to motorists who
are pulled over but hesitant to
interact with an officer due to
COVID-19 concerns?
“I would suggest wearing a mask
if you’re worried about talking to
an officer,” McKnight says. “But
you definitely need to comply with
what they are asking you to do. Be
respectful and let them know your
concerns.”
After the state begins to re-open
on Friday, May 15, and the casino
resumes operations, things will still
look different.
“When we get back to ‘normal’
operations, the officers will still
be wearing masks and gloves un-
til there is a vaccine available,”
McKnight says. “Also, the door will
remain closed at the police depart-
ment and we are asking people to
use our nonemergency line to call
or text (541-921-2927) if they have
questions or concerns.” 