When there’s proof, maybe admit it

While it’s true that people have been lying to the police forever, it does seem like the “admit nothing, deny everything, demand proof” dynamic has been increasing lately.

Friday night, Officer David Hughes responded to a hit-and-run crash at 11th Street and Callow Avenue. There were numerous witnesses, and the dispatch center provided a partial plate and a very good description of the car, which was occupied by three people.

Coincidentally, officers located three people walking away from a matching vehicle with fresh front-end damage just 30 minutes later near a gas station on Wheaton Way.

They contacted the three young people, who vehemently denied being associated with the car at all. They continued to deny it even after officers determined it was registered to one of their parents.

The parents were asked to come to the scene, and after some “robust” discussion involving the parents, the juvenile driver decided maybe he was involved. He was identified and released to his unimpressed mother. Charges were forwarded to the juvenile court prosecutor.

Amazing responses to sad, difficult calls

This has been a sad and difficult week in terms of the calls officers have been taking, Sunday night especially.

In one shift, we had five reports of suicidal persons. Three were taken to the hospital, one was left to stay at home and one was a completed suicide whom officers found dead at the home.

Monday, the dispatch center reported a caller seeing a woman climb over the railing on the Warren Avenue Bridge. Officers were on scene within 30 seconds of the call, and she was not there.

On Tuesday, Officer Johnny Rivera and Sgt. Renfro responded to a woman who called the crisis line reporting she wanted to jump off the Manette Bridge. She was located at the ferry terminal, taken safely into custody and transported to the hospital.

It kept going all week. Wednesday afternoon, Officer Spencer Berntsen responded to a report of a man wielding axes near the 1700 block of Park Avenue. We had recently arrested the same man for violating a court order. Officer Berntsen observed the man “chopping” at the air with the axes, and the man also had a large knife in his waistband. Spencer calmly talked the man into putting the axes down and the man went to the hospital for an evaluation.

Later in the week, officers Steven Forbragd and Berntsen were called to a report of a woman having a mental-health incident. The woman came out of her apartment and resisted the officers. The officers were forced to assist her to the ground and were eventually able to restrain her. Bremerton Fire transported her to the hospital.

Suicide and mental-health problems are highly personal family matters, but as officers nationwide are facing more and more scrutiny and criticism for the way they interact with difficult situations, I do want to highlight the danger of the incidents our officers face and the tremendous, almost superhuman judgment and discretion they display. And it happens several times each week. It doesn’t fit the national narrative right now, but these officers do amazing things all the time.

It is an “all-terrain vehicle,” after all

On Wednesday, Officer Kenny Davis and staff from our Public Works Department partnered on an unusual arrest. Officers were called to Jarstad Park for an ATV Rider driving recklessly and spitting up gravel while doing “donuts.”

Officer Davis arrived first and told the driver to walk out to him. The driver was trying to re-start his ATV, then jumped off and ran away on foot. Officer Davis chased him down and took him into custody.

Public Works staff assisted by closing the gates to the park, and helping to retrieve the ATV from a remote and highly forested area of the park. It turned out to be an 18-year-old who had been drinking, and he was arrested for DUI.

New meaning of stealthy

Tuesday night, Officer Bill Prouse took a noise complaint at a West Bremerton motel. The motel management received several calls about a very loud TV in one of the rooms. They had attempted to contact the guest by phone and by knocking on the door several times, but there had been no response.

Officer Prouse knocked loudly as well, and again, no response. The noise complaint became a welfare check, and the manager unlocked the door so we could check and make sure the guest was okay.

The man was found sleeping extremely soundly, snoring away, and the officer was not able to wake him up. He was okay otherwise, so Bill turned down the TV and locked the door behind him.

We don’t know if the man ever even knew we were there.

— Bremerton Police Chief Steven Strachan