The West Tisbury Police Department cooked up an arresting luncheon at the Howes House for seniors on Monday, complete with sweet honey-baked ham and creamy mashed potatoes.
Other tasty options included minestrone soup, chicken noodle soup, and Rice Krispies treats and cupcakes with blue frosting (for ‘meet your men in blue’) for dessert.
Susie Boass ate contentedly as she sat at a table with a few of her friends. “The food is absolutely wonderful,” Boass said. “And what a nice gesture by the police.”
Janice Cramer almost cleared her plate before going back around for a second helping of ham and a biscuit.
But the food was secondary for seniors and police. The purpose of the luncheon was for police to get to know the senior population on-Island so they can provide better service and protection.
Officer Jeremie Rogers played a major role in organizing and cooking for the event.
He said it is important for police to be accessible in the community, not just for protection, but because they want to help.
“We want seniors to know that we are available,” Rogers said. “Hopefully sitting down and getting to know them all will encourage them to be more open in reaching out and contacting us.”
Rogers said seniors are often the last ones to contact authorities because they are so independent. “If someone has a broken smoke detector and can’t get up to fix it, that is something we want to know about, but sometimes seniors are hesitant to reach out,” Rogers said. He hopes putting faces to names will open the lines of communication between seniors and police.
According to Rogers, approximately 40 percent of West Tisbury residents are over the age of 65, making it essential for West Tisbury Police to be as close with seniors as possible. “Plus it’s just a good thing to have in a small community — the more interconnected everyone is, the better the community will function,” Rogers said.
Chief Matt Mincone said he wants the police to be portrayed as who they are: people who want to enrich and protect the community (and who love to eat good food).
He said the event also strengthens partnership and camaraderie within the department.
“It’s just a lot of fun, doing these types of events. We get to become more acquainted with people and also work together to provide a positive experience,” he said.
“This is a very strong community,” Mincone said. “We want people to recognize us because that means they will be more likely to be proactive and reach out.”
Assistant director for the Up-Island Council on Aging Tanya Larsen said the police did an “incredible job” getting to the Howes House early in the morning to prepare for the feast.
“They worked really hard — they always do,” Larsen said.
The Up-Island Council on Aging serves seniors from West Tisbury, Chilmark, and Aquinnah. Folks from all three towns showed up to the luncheon to enjoy the vast array of yummy comfort food.
Officer Bradley Cortez said everyone in the department is passionate and dedicated to the safety, comfort, and well-being of the community.
“We have some really incredible guys on this team, and I think we are blessed to have people who care,” Cortez said.
Director of the Up-Island Council on Aging Joyce Bowker said it’s not often police take such initiative to integrate themselves with citizens. “It’s really extraordinary, the amount of effort these guys put into these types of events. And it’s not because they’re required to; this is something they did out of their own kindness,” Bowker said.