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Graettinger: Sun City Posse patrols enhanced with three areas

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Patrolling Sun City has been the primary goal of the Sun City Posse since its inception almost 50 years ago, but the dynamics and the underlying forces have changed as Sun City has grown and developed over the years.

Staffing and other issues for years led to 2-patrol coverage, but that has all changed. Beginning the first of this month we kicked off new patrol schedule and thanks to our dedicated volunteers we now have three patrol areas, which makes for more efficient and effective coverage for Sun City. As always, our staff stepped up to make this happen, including John Gerlach, our Posse lieutenant of operations, and David Powers, our Posse division lieutenant.

Working behind the scene were other Posse members including Connie Kurth, who worked on the patrol schedule. Some of our volunteers who have made the Vacation Watch program such a success also worked on the project, including Barbara Craft. Their efforts helped make for a smooth transition to the expanded patrol area. Special praise goes to Carol Perko, who pulled together our new maps and set up our missions book and Cyndy Ezsak, who handled some of the other administrative duties.

The three patrol coverage areas include our 501 patrol group that covers everything from Olive Avenue to Grand Avenue, while division 502 will oversee everything from Grand Avenue to Bell Road. Our 503 patrol staff will keep a watchful eye on everything from Bel to Beardsley roads.

What does this mean for Sun City?

With three patrol areas, it means we will be able to cover a larger area in a timelier manner. Gone are the days when, in the event of a medical emergency, our patrol vehicle had to travel a distance to get to the scene to help. Now there will be a patrol car in the area and our response time will be cut in half giving us more visibility and strength in the field.

“Going to three coverage areas means we can now focus our attention on a smaller area and that will definitely make us more efficient in the event of an emergency,” Lt. Powers said. “And it also means that we will have more watchful eyes on Sun City.”

Lt. Gerlach agreed.

“If there is a medical emergency and we are called to assist the Sun City Fire and and Medical Department, we will get to the scene a lot quicker,” he said.

In addition to our three coverage patrol areas, we will continue with our three shifts. The first shift begins at 6 a.m. and ends at 11:30 a.m. The next shift starts at 11 a.m. and ends at 4:30 p.m., while our third shift begins at 4 p.m. and ends at 9:30 p.m.

In addition to our new three patrol areas there also will be a duty officer during all three shifts who will patrol the area from Thunderbird Boulevard to Alabama Avenue to help deal with some of our homeless issue.

“This is what it is all about,” Command Dave Miller said. “We are now able to staff three division patrol areas and that means we are better able to serve the residents of Sun City. What a great way to kick off the month of July and to show our residents that we do care about our community and we are determined to keep our residents safe.”

Remember, we always are looking for volunteers, so if you are interested in putting on a snappy and stylish uniform to serve the needs of our community, call the Posse at 623-972-2555. Tell us, “You want to be a part of what’s happening in Sun City.”

Editor’s Note: Diana Graettinger is Sun City Posse public information officer.