Making soup is widely considered a comforting act, associated with care and a sense of community. That came across recently as Oak Bluffs Police Chief Jonathan Searle ladled out bowls of steaming hot chicken soup he’d made from scratch.
“Food brings people together,” the chief said of the crowd recently assembled at the Oak Bluffs Senior Center. Targeted that day were the older adults, with whom the police would like more interaction. “In my experience, older citizens are less likely to reach out to the police than younger people. We’ve found older folk who are too stoic, lying on the floor because they didn’t want to bother us.”
Chief Searle has a long history of community policing. While interviewed to become Oak Bluffs Police chief back in 2022, Searle testified he’d been “committed to community policing [his] entire career.” His present interactions with the Island’s elders suggest his commitment to community policing endures. But just what is community policing? A definition by the U.S. Department of Justice is helpful: “Community policing begins with a commitment to building trust and mutual respect between police and communities. It supports public safety by encouraging all stakeholders to work together to address our nation’s crime challenges. When law enforcement and communities collaborate, they more effectively address underlying issues, change negative behavioral patterns, and allocate resources.”
Reaching older adults
The Oak Bluffs Police Force reaches out to older Islanders where they are. They provide regular police presence at the Oak Bluffs Council on Aging (COA) and Island Elderly Housing (IEH).
Elders and police meet easily and often at the Oak Bluffs Council on Aging. Scheduled events include police-cooked luncheons, and events like “Coffee with a Cop,” started by California’s Hawthorne Police Department in 2011.
Savannah Barnes, a young OBPD officer fairly new to the force at the time, gave “Coffee with a Cop” a new twist by creating “Crochet with a Cop.” Barnes, who learned to crochet early in life from her grandmother, saw the small crafting group as providing “a chance to talk in a more intimate setting, to ask questions about concerns that they might not want to ask in a less relaxed environment.”
Officer Barnes has now joined the COA board, according to administrator Rose Cogliano, and been appointed senior liaison to interface with elders regarding public and confidential situations.
“Scheduled events vary, depending on police availability,” cautions Cogliano. Police resources are stretched thin during tourist season, so you may see a smaller police presence at the Senior Center in summer. Current activities can be checked on the monthly listings in the 55-Plus section of The MV Times, or online under Oak Bluffs town listings.
“Officers from the OBPD also routinely visit IEH to assist residents with issues ranging from broken-down vehicles to lost pets, wellness checks, or assisting the Fire Department or Emergency Medical Services,” reports IEH service coordinator Mary Gosselin.
“Officer Savannah Barnes contributes to the community of Martha’s Vineyard in many ways,” she adds. “I met Officer Barnes at Island Elderly Housing, and found her to be a professional with great insight, empathy, and a sense of humor. Officer Barnes shared that her enjoyment of crocheting gave her an opportunity to have one-on-one conversations with elders.”
Gosselin says, “This is a complicated world we live in; Officer Barnes exemplifies how working in small ways can create a bridge to encourage community ties.”
Another Oak Bluffs Police officer, known to go out of his way helping IEH residents after ambulance transports, is Kyle Sutherland. Officer Sutherland was recently observed sticking around to make sure a Woodside resident’s dog was moved to safety after the ambulance departure of its owner, transporting the dog — along with its food and bedding — to a safe place.
Chief Searle expressed hope that the connection between police and older citizens would flourish in years to come. This would be a good thing, as a study by Healthy Aging Martha’s Vineyard (HAMV) shows the elder population on the Vineyard to be robust and growing, with one in three residents on Martha’s Vineyard 65 and older.
I have enjoyed the visits with the Chief, and yes, his soup is tasty. He is always informative, and attempts to answer all the questions and concerns from the Oak Bluffs seniors. Savannah is a lovely person, and quite friendly and helpful. It’s a good practice for a Police dept., and I hope it continues. Community policing should be the policy for departments across the country. It would likely go a long way towards reducing violence and crime.
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