By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Serving and protecting. Law enforcement officers work for the communities in which they serve. The Great Bend Police Department is boosting its Community Engagement Initiative to better serve residents and businesses. Sgt. Gary Davis has been with the department for 35 years, and said those three decades of relationships with community members will help him lead the initiative.
"It's just like a relationship," he said Wednesday on 1590 KVGB/95.5 FM's "City Edition" program. "Trust is very important. If you don't have trust, it's hard to get things done. But when people trust you, they'll give you more information sometimes that they might not give to other people. Plus, they'll help. We build a bond, so we'll help them better."
Along with speaking with business owners and residents about their needs from the police department, Davis wants to emphasize the importance of being cautious about potential scams.
"Any time, when you get a phone call, and they're trying to impress on you that this has to be done right now," he said, "or maybe within a couple of hours, or if they want you to get cash and maybe put it on the cards and give them the numbers on the cards - any time it deals with cash, it's usually going to be a scam."
Davis said the goal of scammers is to pressure and scare callers to cloud their judgment. He reminded residents that most agencies take payment forms other than cash and do not require immediate payment. Further, residents should be especially aware of calls made on the weekends, as those fall outside of business hours for most agencies. Anyone who believes they are being scammed is encouraged to call law enforcement.