Officer finds fulfillment in volunteering

A local man who just wanted a chance to serve his community got a bigger opportunity than he expected when he joined the Pullman Police Department a decade ago.

Moscow resident Dennis Pratt has served as a reserve officer for the department since 2010 and this week, National Volunteer Week, he was recognized by Chief Gary Jenkins for donating 931 unpaid volunteer hours for the department in 2019 alone.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Pratt said.

Pratt, who worked for the U.S. Forest Service before moving with his family to the Palouse, wanted to find a way to be productive. As a religious man, Pratt said he felt called to service as a child of God.

When he contacted the Pullman Police Department, Pratt said he was prepared to do anything, even if that meant something as simple as washing cars.

Instead, through the department’s reserve program, Pratt went through an academy conducted by the Whitman County Sheriff’s Office and received the same field training a career officer receives. He is now tasked with patrolling Pullman both in a vehicle and on a bicycle. He also serves on the Whitman County Regional SWAT team.

Pratt said one of his favorite police activities is patrolling on his bike during the summer, because it allows him to have personal contact with a wide range of residents.

“Really, what I enjoy the most is interacting with people and problem solving,” he said.

In particular, he tries to meet and help homeless people he comes across, a service he called his special niche within the police department.

These daily interactions allow him and other officers like him to see parts of humanity and society they may not otherwise be aware of, he said. Pratt said interacting with people also allows the public to better understand the police department.

Pratt encourages others to become a reserve officer or join in their community’s police programs, like ride-alongs or a police citizen’s academy, if they are available. Doing so will help give the public and the police a better understanding of each other.

“It will make them a better citizen and it will also make the department better,” he said.

He said people that have opinions about how to police the community have an opportunity through the reserve officer program to see for themselves the challenges that come with the job.

“If we’re going to complain about the way we’re policed, then we need to understand what ... challenges … our police face,” Pratt said.

Pratt also called this volunteer work “an opportunity to really make that difference in the community.”

In addition to Pratt, two other officers were recognized by Jenkins for their volunteer work. Reserve officer Jeff Gordon joined the Pullman Police Department in June 2019 and donated 468 volunteer hours. Chaplain Matt McNelly has worked for the department since 2010, and provides emotional and spiritual support for police staff and families through counseling.

Anthony Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.