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About Cannon Beach gazette. (Cannon Beach, Or.) 1977-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 4, 2015)
December 4, 2015 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com • 3A Jodi Symonds is Cannon Beach’s newest police officer Officer promotes safety, outreach ‘I want to be that education piece for the community. Doing outreach and making them realize we’re here for them, we’re here to just make sure the community is safe.’ By Dani Palmer Cannon Beach Gazette Her career path didn’t lead her the way she had originally planned, but Jodi Symonds, 29, eventually found her way back to the field she loves. Symonds is Cannon Beach’s newest police officer. She went on duty for the first time Oct. 6. “I want people to know I’m here for them,” she said. “I’m here to make sure I’m safe, and that they’re safe as well. I want to be that educa- tion piece for the community. Doing outreach and making them realize we’re here for them, we’re here to just make sure the community is safe.” Symonds grew up in Seaside and graduated from California’s Humboldt State University with a degree in social work in 2010. She had started in criminology at Portland State Universi- ty before transferring, and because Humboldt had just eliminated its criminology program, switched to social work. Symonds began as a fam- ily service worker in Utah before coming back to work at Seaside Head Start in 2012. She moved to the Department of Human Services in 2013 and while in Child Protective Services, “learned an awful lot in a short amount of time.” She saw much good — “parents get back on track” to get their kids home. But she also witnessed not-so-hap- py endings. Wanting to hold those accountable for their Jodi Symonds CANNON BEACH POLICE DEPARTMENT Officer Jodi Symonds actions, she decided to again go for police work. It was sad for the Human Services crew when Symonds left, but they know where her passion lies. Her friends and family are also supportive. It was her mother, Shan- non, who encouraged Jodi and her twin brother, Joel, to investigate police work. Their father, Scott, was a reserve officer in Seaside, and their older brother, Joseph, had been an officer in Gearhart and Astoria. “I call him all the time and talk different scenarios,” Jodi said. “He is a plethora of in- formation on how to go about doing things.” “The spark for me” was work with the Clatsop Coun- ty Sheriff’s Office as a youth. She also participated in the law enforcement Explorer program and was a cadet at Fort Stevens State Park. Joel decided to go the military route. Jodi said her family and friends agree po- lice work fits her personality. There are safety concerns, but they’re proud of her. “I’m a go-getter,” Jodi said. “I jump in head first.” And while she may not know all the answers, she’s willing to find them. She said she wants people to know they can talk to her — that she believes it’s important to be respectful as an authority figure. Her goal is to ultimately become a detective, and it all starts with “a great foundation.” The Department of Hu- man Services provided Of- ficer Symonds with a strong base, but she has dispatch verbiage and a multitude of criminal and traffic codes to learn. She enjoys mountain biking with her dog, Hobbs, hiking, surfing and reading in her downtime. But lately most of her reading has been job-related. Officer Josh Gregory, a “vault of knowledge,” serves as her field training officer, along with his canine Gunner. Symonds will end up work- ing with multiple officers before she heads off to the police academy in February. After she gets back in June 2016, she will be able to go out on her own. “My favorite thing is actu- ally being in the driver’s seat, in uniform, and getting out there,” she said. Symonds made her first traffic stop recently after nu- merous mock ones and said she’s come to not have expec- tations, but instead be open to learning. She knows she will have Production Manager John D. Bruijn Circulation Manager Heather Ramsdell Advertising Sales Laura Kaim Wendy Richardson CANNON BEACH GAZETTE The Cannon Beach Gazette is published every other week by EO Media Group. 1555 N. Roosevelt, Seaside, Oregon 97138 503-738-5561 • Fax 503-738-9285 Coastal Advantage 503.436.1777 Coastal Advantage.com www.cannonbeachgazette.com • email: editor@cannonbeachgazette.com SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Annually: $40.50 in county, $58.00 in and out of county. Postage Paid at: Cannon Beach, OR 97110 Ce l e b r at e t he Ho l i day Se as o n i n St yl e INTERIOR THE NATIONAL AWARD-WINNING Publisher Steve Forrester Editor R.J. Marx Reporter Dani Palmer Advertising Manager Betty Smith Symonds was chosen out of 26 applicants. Police Chief Jason Schermerhorn joked DHS was a little upset with the department for taking her. “We’re very proud to have her,” he said. Symonds had to go through written and physical testing, an oral board, and an extensive background check and psychological evaluation over a roughly three-month period to get where she is. She had a background in- terview with Officer Joseph Bowman “which lasted, it seemed, like hours and hours and hours.” She added it was a good process to go through to help her understand how vulnera- ble those she interacts with as an officer may feel. Symonds already knows she can’t “take things personally” and has to adapt to each situation. “We have a great com- munity here,” she said. “Just making sure I’m holding my- self to a high standard and continuing is exciting. I hope to be here for a while.” large crowds to guide in traf- fic during the summer and countless illegal overnight campers. Cannon Beach is known for being a safe com- munity, but even it experienc- es drug use, high end thefts and domestic violence. There are also rare serious crimes that occur, like the murder of 2-year-old Isabella Smith and attempted murder of 13-year- old Alana Smith in 2014, al- legedly by their mother Jessi- ca Smith. Many are issues Symonds wants to address not only on a legal level, but a commu- nity one. Like her family has done, Jodi wants to engage the community through a va- riety of avenues, such as The Harbor that provides services to survivors of domestic and sexual violence. That community outreach is why she chose to apply to the Cannon Beach Police Department. With DHS she interacted with local law en- forcement agencies, includ- ing Cannon Beach. “They were a great group,” she said. St yl e POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Cannon Beach Gazette, P.O. 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