Last week we saw what a good police department can do — arrest bad guys. The Woodburn Police Department, through astute observation skills, simple follow-up and a desire to make Woodburn a great place to live, arrested 12 individuals who not only creep out their fellow neighbors, but put 11 children in harm’s way.
These adults had children living in conditions that were just deplorable. Dirty diapers, mold, rotten food, pet urine and garbage littered the house, where children between the ages of 2 and 16 lived.
That is reprehensible, not to mention disgusting. The Department of Human Services removed the children from the home and put them in foster homes. For once, these children will have a clean place to rest their heads and breathe fresh air.
Woodburn police officials said the house had an ammonium smell, due to methamphetamines and diapers with fecal matter in them.
The police response was quick and efficient and while there are always reasons to get mad at authority, whether it’s for a ticket you were given or bad judgment, police are easy targets.
Oftentimes when they do good work, it gets overlooked, or ignored, which is what most police officers prefer. They like to remain anonymous, out of the public’s eye.
Woodburn is lucky. It has a police department that cares about this community, one that is as diverse in culture as it is in crimes committed.
Instead of focusing on what you perceive the department is not doing, maybe it’s time to look at what it is doing … and be thankful you have a group of individuals caring so much about your community.
That isn’t the case everywhere. We are one of the lucky ones. Next time you run across one of Woodburn’s finest, give them a wave or just say ‘Thank you.’ You won’t believe how much that small gesture really means to them.
