Check in with the Chief

In his second Friday briefing, Olney Police Chief Dan Birbeck urged residents to get involved with law enforcement and victims’ advocacy group, reviewed city laws about animals at large and detailed arrests and calls for the second week in January.

Citizens who want to get involved with the OPD can ask to do a ridealong with an officer for part of a shift or an entire shift, he said. The civilian must pass a background check and have no felonies or crimes of moral turpitude on their record and must sign a waiver of liability, he said.

The Police Department is always looking for businesses, groups or individuals who want to help with Olney Night Out, when local first responders show off their gear and hold a barbecue to say thank you to the public. Groups and businesses are invited to set up booths, provide giveaways for kids, as well as activities and games. Anyone can contribute to the OPD’s Olney Night Out account. Contact Cpl. Joe Logan for more information.

Chief Birbeck also said the OPD will help interested citizens organize Neighborhood Watch groups. The group should determine the boundaries of the watch area and choose the group’s officers, he said. “It’s an excellent way to stay involved and the best eyes and ears are the people on your block because you know who belongs there,” he said.

He also encouraged Olneyites to receive training to become mentors for at-risk children or Court Appointed Special Advocates [CASA] at Virginia’s House family resource center in Graham, where he serves on the board of directors.

Mentors would help children with homework and teach them life skills. CASA volunteers shepherd children through court processes and act as problem solvers and a voice for children. Volunteers must be 21 years of age, pass a background check and an interview. They receive online and classroom training provided by Virginia’s House and must agree to a yearlong commitment, he said. For more information, contact Presley at Virginia’s House at 940-549 9829.

Chief Birbeck reminded pet owners to register their animals with the City so that they can be returned if they escape from their yards, and that no more than four pets - dogs or cats - can live at one address. Residents can have up to six hens and no roosters inside City limits and coops must have a fiveby- five foot space for each chicken, he said.

A new Texas law prohibits dog owners from using chains to restrain dogs outside of their residents, and dogs must have access to shelter, potable water and a heat source in below-freezing weather and shade in hot weather, he said.

“If you have a short haired dog like a pit that’s chained to a fence and its 20 degrees and they have no shelter somebody is going to get arrested,” he said.

The OPD made several warrant arrests last week, including issuing a warrant for someone who was making harassing phone calls, he said. The Department also assisted with a large gas line break on State Highway 79 North, and made several arrests for possession of drug paraphernalia and drug possession. He warned hunters and sport shooters just outside City limits to take care to not shoot toward homes after a resident on West Grey Avenue complained of “bullets whizzing by.”

The Police Department responded to one call for mental health help and was able to connect a resident with resources, he said.