Police recruits get look at lives of homeless

By Michael Ko
Seattle Times staff reporter

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Doug Raguso, an incoming Seattle police recruit who grew up in Walla Walla and recently graduated from Washington State University, said before this week he'd never been exposed to homeless people. His ideas about them were simple: They're rough and they fight.

"When I thought of dealing with homeless people, I thought it would be to rouse them off some business owner's steps," said Raguso, 22. "I'm pretty embarrassed that I had that notion."

What he said is changing his mind is a one-week immersion into the city's social services, which from now on will be a formal training requirement of every officer entering the Seattle Police Department (SPD).

Raguso's class of five is the first to finish the training. The department expects to hire about 60 new officers by the end of the year.

The program has meant visits to the Downtown Emergency Service Center, Harborview Medical Center's crisis center, Union Gospel Mission, Orion Youth Center and Real Change homeless newspaper office.

The incoming officers have had the chance to talk with clients and staff members and help out with day-to-day responsibilities.

Officers aren't just responsible for peacekeeping and crime-fighting anymore, said Deputy Police Chief Clark Kimerer. "They are mediators, counselors, resource seekers, crisis interventionists and enforcers."

One of the goals of the program is to help new officers be more open-minded and compassionate about a population they interact with daily — the street population and others who need social services — and more knowledgeable about those services.

Chief Gil Kerlikowske says in his 30 years in law enforcement, "I never saw it from a different perspective. I never knew what went on inside some of the shelters, what the staff at some of these places go through."

Bill Hobson, director of the Downtown Emergency Services Center, said the program "speaks of a commitment on the part of SPD to be as professional as it can be" and gives his staff members an opportunity to educate new police officers about homelessness.
 
Kevin Clay, 32, an incoming Seattle police officer who worked for seven years as an officer in Mountlake Terrace, said one of the most important things he's learned this week is how social-services workers interact with their clients.

"[The staff is] very professional; they treat them with respect and dignity," Clay said. "That's what every police officer should strive to do. This is how you deal with people who are in crisis."

As for Raguso, he'll get the chance right away to test what he's learned. On Monday, he'll be in uniform, patrolling the University District. The Ave has one of the biggest street-youth populations in the city.

Michael Ko: 206-515-5653 or mko@seattletimes.com