PORT ANGELES — The Police Department began full-time downtown patrols last week as a prelude to permanently filling a dedicated downtown officer position that’s been vacant since December, police officials said.
The duties of the downtown resource officer include patrolling downtown streets and staffing a centrally located office in The Gateway transit center at Lincoln and Front streets.
Officer Sky Sexton’s primary focus for the next several weeks will be the downtown core, Chief Terry Gallagher said.
“Downtown is going to be a primary focus of the police department starting now and through the summer,” he said, adding that emphasis will continue into the fall.
The position will filled by Officer Shane Martin in early June through July when school resource officer Erik Smith returns to detective duties, after which it will be permanently filled.
That will free a position that will be filled by a downtown officer, Gallagher said, adding it is not yet known who the downtown officer will be.
Day-shift officers have been patrolling the city’s traffic and pedestrian core when they are not handling other policing duties, Gallagher said.
“It’s to our advantage to start that now rather than let the increased people traffic down there get to the point where it’s harder to control,” Gallagher said.
Refilling the resource officer position is part of the city’s efforts to contribute to the Spruce Up Port Angeles campaign spearheaded by the volunteer community group, Revitalize Port Angeles.
Late last year, business owners and city officials expressed concern at City Council meetings about burglaries and transients downtown.
At the time, Revitalize Port Angeles founder and moderator Leslie Robertson urged the hiring of a second resource officer.
Gallagher said that will not happen anytime soon.
But the fact that the single position will be filled is “one of the best things possible for the downtown area,” Robertson said last week, “not only because it will make people feel safer, but it will make the downtown more cared for.
“The police department started spending more time [downtown] when we started squawking, so to speak,” Robertson said.
Gallagher agreed.
“Revitalize Port Angeles was really anxious to see an increased police presence downtown, and we are dong everything we can to respond to that request and do it in a positive way,” he said.
The idea for a dedicated downtown police officer originated at a December 2004 meeting of the Port Angeles Downtown Association, but the position had been vacant since December.
Deputy Chief Brian Smith said that in the past, the downtown officer worked a Wednesday-Saturday shift. A schedule for the revived position has not been determined.
The officer will be responsible for the area covered by the city’s pedestrian interference ordinance, which prohibits aggressive begging and intimidation, as well as obstruction of pedestrians, vehicular traffic and sidewalks.
Exceptions include medical emergencies and sitting on sidewalks on chairs or benches supplied by a public agency or private property owner.
The downtown resource officer’s patrol includes an area that runs from Valley Creek Estuary Park to Francis Street Park and from the waterfront to Second Street between Valley and Laurel streets, extending south to Fourth Street between Laurel and Peabody streets and including the Safeway store at 110 E. Third St.
As part of its May Spruce Up Port Angeles campaign — and the city’s “Beautify Port Angeles Month” — Revitalize Port Angeles is asking property owners to repair, improve, paint, weed, plant and spring-clean their homes and businesses.
The efforts have included repainting the Laurel Street stairs, repainting downtown curbs and parking zones, removing graffiti, sweeping alleys and controlling weeds, Robertson said Wednesday.
“If we have the volunteers and paint and supplies, we will continue to do more projects,” she said.
“Revitalize will always be down there to clean things up and make it better.”
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5060, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.