Polk County News
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • October 5, 2016 5A
Sheriff: Garton, Whitlow face off
Continued from Page 3A
He said his responsibility
is to seek out that informa-
tion in a number of for-
mats, such as attending
city council and communi-
ty meetings and taking the
advice of his recently
formed Sheriff’s Advisory
Committee.
“If I don’t go out and ask
questions of people, or peo-
ple (don’t) have access to
me to give me advise, then I
won’t know what service to
deliver,” Garton said.
Whitlow, a patrol ser-
geant, has worked for the
Yamhill County Sheriff ’s
Office for 16 years, first as a
reserve and then full-time
starting in 2001.
Whitlow, 50, currently
oversees patrols in the four
cities that contract with
Yamhill County for police
service: Sheridan, Willami-
na, Lafayette and Dayton.
He leads a team of 10
deputies.
He said wants to use the
skills he’s developed in that
role and as a detective for
the benefit of Polk County.
“I have good leadership
skills,” he said. “It would be
a good challenge to come
down here and spend a cou-
ple of terms and be com-
fortable here and get every-
body going and leave a little
bit of a legacy behind.”
He sees the role of sheriff
as that of a “servant leader”
that is responsive to the
different needs of commu-
nities within the office’s ju-
risdiction.
“We are here to serve
everybody else, and it’s not
about us,” he said. “It’s not
about cop egos. It’s about
the people.”
Of his priorities, Whitlow
said establishing or
strengthening partnerships
with neighboring agencies
is key, including all the city
police departments in the
county. He said communi-
ties are better served when
agencies have strong work-
ing relationships because
issues tend to bleed over
jurisdictional lines.
“Customer ser vice is
kind of a broad topic, but it
comes down to relation-
ships, partnerships, taking
ones that have been
strained and making them
better,” he said. “Taking
ones that didn’t exist and
creating them, making
them the best they can be.”
Another component of
his leadership strategy is
taking care of his employ-
ees and listening to their
suggestions and opinions
about how to better serve
citizens.
“Without them, the sher-
iff’s office is not going to
function,” he said.
Garton said he decided
to seek the sheriff’s posi-
tion partly with his chil-
dren’s future in mind.
He wanted to make sure
they had the same oppor-
tunities he did.
“And I want the communi-
ty they grow up in to be
good,” he said. “I want to
leave it better than I found it.”
Whitlow said the first
priority of a sheriff should
be making sure the public’s
needs are met.
“Making sure everybody
under his command is pro-
viding the best service they
can to the citizens of the
community, because we
work for them,” he said. “It
truly is about customer
service.”
To see the answers to the
questionnaires sent by the
Itemizer-Observer :
polkio.com.
NEWS IN BRIEF
Call Monmouth P&L for LED bulbs
MONMOUTH — Monmouth Power and Light is participating
in a light bulb exchange.
All Monmouth Power residential customers qualify. Person-
nel will install LED bulbs in homes, replacing incandescent
bulbs. Customers are eligible to replace up to 16 bulbs per
household. This program requires an exchange of one incan-
descent light bulb for one LED bulb. Available while supplies
last. To schedule an appointment: 503-838-3526.
Have coffee with a cop on Friday
MONMOUTH — The Monmouth Police Department will host
a Coffee with a Cop at Burgerville, 615 Main St. E., from 7 to 9
a.m. on Friday. Join neighbors and officers for conversation
and coffee — no agenda or speeches, just a chance to ask
questions, voice concerns, and get to know the officers in your
neighborhood.
For more information: 503-838-1109, or email
ihaines@ci.monmouth.or.us.
Marquis helps make wishes come true
INDEPENDENCE — Marquis Spa is helping make wishes
come true for kids battling life-threatening medical conditions.
During the last week of September, Marquis donated six of
the Wish model hot tubs in six days to Make-A-Wish chapters
across America to use for wish-granting or fundraising.
The six hot tubs were made available by the Spirit of a Wish
promotion, where Marquis offered to donate a Wish hot tub for
every three Swim Spa Aquatic Training Vessels purchased in
April. For more information: www.marquisspas.com.
Moser: Libraries are heart of community Team: Goal is to treat
Continued from Page 1A
If they didn’t, they would put the
note back on the pile with the courier
to the next library.
“We didn’t know if we were getting it
or not,” Moser said. “Now, you can not
only look and see if that stuff is there,
but you can put holds on it at home.”
Even better, checking out items
through e-readers means instant grati-
fication.
“Not too long ago, I was reading a se-
ries of books, and I finished the second
book in the series,” Moser said. “I
looked and saw our copy’s checked out.
I went to our Libraries To Go (app) and,
sure enough, there was an e-copy avail-
able. Ten minutes later and I’m reading
the third book on my Kindle. It’s pretty
amazing.”
Moser, always a voracious reader,
said spending 30 years working at the
library was a fluke.
“I thought I was going to be a
teacher,” she said.
Moser had taken classes to be a
teacher, and ran a day care from her
home before looking for part time
work.
That’s when she saw the library was
hiring — just 25 hours a month — but
it was a welcome break from raising six
children — all younger than 9.
She wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I get to work somewhere and see all
the books,” she said. “I have to tell you,
it’s still like Christmas when the books
come.”
Moser’s experience with her own
children — some eager to read, and
others reluctant — has helped her
make suggestions for library patrons
who struggle with reading. Her strong
belief in literacy fuels her passion for
books and libraries.
“I’ve found ways to encourage the
ones who are reluctant to read, and I
felt like learning that here has helped
me help them (my children),” Moser
said.
One important tool has been audio
books. Just because a kid struggles with
reading doesn’t mean they want to read
about Dick and Jane, Moser said. Audio
books can help.
“It’s really helpful for kids to read
along while they’re listening to it,” she
said. “They listen to it; they see it and
touch it all at the same time. Put the
headphones on, and he can follow
along, and pretty soon he’s reading
what his friends are reading.”
Libraries have become a family affair
for the Mosers, with all of her children
having volunteered at some point —
and her oldest daughter was just
named the director of the state public
library.
“Our love of libraries has continued
to the next generation,” she said.
Moser coordinates the 50 volunteers,
as well as repairs and catalogs materi-
als and takes care of all the logistics of
library programs — are there enough
volunteers? Do we have supplies for
the program? Do we need more toilet
paper?
Her favorite part of her job is work-
ing with the materials.
“I like working on the books, repair-
ing the books,” Moser said. “I like han-
dling the materials, and when you look
and have this big pile done, it’s very
concrete.”
If that were the only part of her job,
she would miss the library’s patrons.
“Libraries are the heart of every
community,” Moser said. “Yesterday,
not only did we have the kids come,
but a lot of the dads came.
“The dads had a great time building
Legos with their kids, and that kind of
stuff, where you’re building memories
with your family — that stuff is all real-
ly important.”
mental health issues
Continued from Page 1A
Leonard worked on a
similar team in Yamhill
County for four years, and
said the teams’ goal is to
break the cycle of repeated
incarceration for people
with mental health issues.
“I see a tremendous
need, and there are many
factors that contribute to
someone needing crisis re-
sponse to address the men-
tal health aspect,” she said.
Yamhill and Marion
counties have had teams
patrolling for a few years,
and LaCombe said they are
seeing success in achieving
that goal. The hope is they
will experience the same in
Polk.
“I wish we could have
had it sooner,” said Polk
County Sheriff Mark Gar-
ton. “They are streamlining
services.”
LaCombe said providing
help to someone in crisis
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can take time, so having
the teams available allows
deputies and officers to re-
spond to other calls.
The teams’ calls will be
tracked their first year to
see if the need is great
enough to keep them
rolling, LaCombe said.
“We are just getting
started in Polk County, so
we are trying to establish
our position here and our
relationships with the dif-
ferent agencies,” LaCombe
said. “I think throughout
the next year, our call load
will increase and we will
get an idea of what the
need here in Polk County
is. We will also keep track of
the contacts we have as
well, so there will be some
numbers to access.”
Garton anticipates those
statistics will provide proof
that the teams are neces-
sary in Polk County.