Ukiah Police Chief Cedric Crook and other members of his department visited the Mountain View Assisted Living and Memory Care facility Thursday to greet residents and answer any questions they might have.
The visit was prompted by former UPD Capt. Wayne McBride, whom Crook said visits with the elderly residents of the facility frequently. McBride said the residents had questions about their safety, but also wanted to thank the officers for their service on what is recognized as “National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day,” Jan. 9.
“Are you from here?” many of the residents asked as Crook shook their hands, to which he said, “Yes, I was born and raised here,” pointing to where the hospital he was born in used to be located. Also describing himself as “born and raised in Ukiah” was UPD Patrol Lt. Jason Chapman.
When one resident thanked the officers “because we call you, and you’re here,” Chapman said, “Thank you. And I’m glad the officers are getting here quick, given the amount of calls that they have.”
When asked how many officers he has total, Crook said “it depends, usually around 27 or 28, and if fully-staffed, we have 32. But we’re never fully-staffed,” he continued, noting that it is first hard to find qualified applicants, then hard to retain them due in large part to higher salaries being offered by neighboring law enforcement agencies.
When McBride said that residents have asked him “how safe is it for me to walk around outside?” Crook said, “I think it is safe,” and Patrol Lt. Chapman agreed that “Ukiah is a safe community,” though he urged the residents to “be aware of your surroundings, and to tell people where you are going before you leave.”
When asked about telephone scams, Crook advised everyone not to “give any information to anyone who calls you,” and that if you receive a call from someone claiming to be from a certain company or organization, to hang up and call a verified number for that outfit to find out if they are legitimately trying to reach you.
“Because there are a lot of phone scams that try and get information, and will steal from you,” he added.
When asked about phone calls from people claiming to be relatives of residents, such as a grandchild in trouble, Chapman advised them to “trust your instincts. If you’re questioning something, and something seems off, hang up and call the relative yourself to see if they are trying to get ahold of you.”
When McBride asked how he, or other seniors, should react when someone on the street asked them for money, Crook said that is called “panhandling, and my best advice is to ignore anyone who approaches you and asks for money. Just simply ignore them.”
UPD Chief Crook and Officer William Ambrose.(Contributed)Also this week, UPD Chief Crook introduced his department’s latest hire, Officer William Ambrose. Describing him as originally from Santa Rosa, Crook said that Ambrose first graduated from the police academy several years ago, but left law enforcement to serve in the U.S. Army.
After recently leaving the Army, Crook said that Ambrose “refreshed” his academy education (which involves a shorter stint at the academy) before being hired by the UPD. Crook described his newest officer as having a “very strong family history in law enforcement,” noting that he had multiple siblings who are also officers.
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