It has been a transformative year for the Tualatin Community Police Foundation saying goodbye to retiring Police Chief Bill Steele and welcoming Tualatin’s own Greg Pickering as our new Police Chief.
At his first TUCPF meeting, Chief Pickering discussed his ideas for the Tualatin Police Department and how we could help achieve our foundation’s mission of creating positive interactions between the Tualatin Police Department and our community. The board was impressed with his fresh ideas, enthusiasm, and the thoughtfulness he had given to making new connections with the community and improving the lives of our police officers.
The first program offered in-depth health screening for employees of the Tualatin Police Department through a program called Sigma Tactical Wellness Program. This screening is vital, given average lifespan of a police officer is only fifty-seven years and they are 45% more likely to experience heart failure. TUCPF agreed to cover the $100 out-of-pocket costs for each participant.
Chief Pickering also welcomed TUCPF to participate in a new event he organized with Horizon Church and Esperanza Church called Faith in Blue. This was an open house at the Tualatin Police Department focused on outreach to the Latino community including great food and a chance to sit on a police motorcycle.
With school back in session, TUCPF was able to fund a Shop-with-a-Cop event in September helping children most in need in our community. TUCPF also participated in the Drug-Take-Back events at the Police Station this Spring and Fall. We also brought back the rubber duck raffle and enjoyed a beautiful day at the Tualatin Commons for the Pumpkin Regatta in September.
Our sales of stuffed dogs that resemble Tualatin’s own police dog, Tony, have been so successful that we have fully funded the canine retirement care program. We used some reserve funds to pay for a specialized travel crate for Tony.
TUCPF is looking forward to providing funding for the upcoming Shop-with-a-Cop event in December. Next year, TUCPF will help the police department purchase drones which will aid in high-risk situations, investigations, and searches for missing persons.
TUCPF appreciates all our supporters and could not be successful without you. Financial donations are always welcome. Please visit our website at TUCPF.org. Our website also explains how you can support TUCPF when shopping at Fred Meyer and at AmazonSmile. You can also purchase a stuffed Tony dog at the Tualatin Police Department. If you have the time to volunteer with TUCPF, either as a board member or for an individual event, please email us at info@tucpf.org.
