As of today, Matt Barbee will be spending the next few weeks at an acute rehabilitation center preparing for the transition to his home with his family.  Unfortunately, Matt has a long uphill climb to recovery and will need continuous care once he arrives at home.  Over the last several weeks, Matt has been through operations and procedures that have been very trying for his family and friends. On behalf of his family and the Tigard Police Officers’ Association, we would like to thank the men and women of the Tigard Police Department, City of Tigard, the Tigard community, local media and the hundreds of volunteers that have donated and helped the Barbee’s with support.  It has truly been overwhelming to see what great support our brother has received in such a time of need. 

Sincerely,

Jeff Hering

President

Tigard Police Officers’ Association

The Tigard Police Officers’ Association would like to express our gratitude for your overwhelming generosity during our “Red, White, Blue, and YOU” fundraising campaign. We truly live by our campaign slogan “One Nation, One Community, Many Voices, Under the Banner of Unity.” Together we do make our community a better and safe place to live and work.

We are honored to have your continued support, and we pledge to uphold our promises to give back to the community that we love.

Thank you to all of the donors who helped us reach our annual goal. Your generosity will make a difference that will benefit all our officers, fallen heroes and their families.

Sincerely,
Tigard Police Officers’ Association

On behalf of our officers and our fellow citizens, the Tigard Police Officers’ Association is asking you today for your support. While our nation is facing unprecedented times, we are thankful for our community who has stayed strong and united and we value the support you have shown our officers.   

Donate Here Today!

The Tigard Police Officers’ Association is dedicated to safety and improving our community, but we need your help! Your support will allow us to continue to fund the much-needed areas within our community, such as: Police Officer Memorial & Survivors Funds, Community Outreach Events, Youth Programs, and much more!

Your generosity will make a difference that will benefit all our officers, fallen heroes, and families.

Join us as we launch this year's’ campaign, “Red, White, Blue and YOU: One Nation, One Community, Many Voices, Under the Banner of Unity.” Our goal is to provide high quality police services, while ensuring that the voice of our community is heard, and our citizens are safe.  

Highest Regards,

Tigard Police Officers’ Association

P.S. Donors who pledge $250 or more will receive a Toy K-9 and Lapel Pin. Donors who pledge $500 or more will receive a Custom Plaque, Toy K-9, and Lapel Pin.

David J. Morris, a former Marine infantry officer, has suffered with PTSD for years. In a fascinating first-hand account of his experience, which appears on The New York Times's website, he writes eloquently about his negative experiences with one VA's most popular treatments for PTSD, prolonged exposure therapy. After one month of treatment, Morris began to have problems.

If you have members suffering from PTSD following a traumatic incident, they might find this article interesting. You can also pass it along to the person in your agency, if there is one, who is involved with officer-wellness programs.

Morris has just written a book, The Evil Hours: A Biography of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, about his experiences trying to overcome post-traumatic stress disorder.Here are some excerpts from his Times piece that we found particularly interesting:

"There are two widely used treatments for PTSD at the V.A. One is called cognitive processing therapy. The other is prolonged exposure therapy, the effectiveness of which the V.A. heavily promotes. After explaining my symptoms to the intake coordinator, I was told that prolonged exposure was the best therapy for me. He said that the treatment worked for about 85 percent of people ("some pretty darn high odds if you ask me").

"The promise of prolonged exposure is that your response to your trauma can be unlearned by telling the story of it over and over again. The patient is asked to close his eyes, put himself back in the moment of maximum terror and recount the details of what happened. According to the theory, the more often the story is told in the safety of the therapy room, the more the memory of the event will be detoxified, stripped of its traumatic charge and transformed into something resembling a normal memory.

"The process sounded like all my dealings with the V.A.: Before you could find any relief, you had to traverse a little bit of hell.

"When I think back on that time, the word that comes to mind is 'nausea.' I felt sick inside, the blood hot in my veins. Never a good sleeper, I became an insomniac of the highest order. I couldn't read, let alone write. I laced up my sneakers and went for a run around my neighborhood, hoping for release in some roadwork; after a couple of blocks, my calves seized up. It was like my body was at war with itself. One day, my cellphone failed to dial out and I stabbed it repeatedly with a stainless steel knife until I bent the blade 90 degrees."

Read More.

Though there have been many scares about what can happen to children or teenagers on the internet, adults should be safe as well. There is no limit to the amount of risk adults come in contact with such as sexual predators, criminals who are seeking out your personal information on social networking sites, buying habits, frequently used sites, and many others.

Here are some tips to help prevent you from being a target:

• Do not share things such as email addresses, usernames and passwords.
• Do not use usernames or passwords that include your name, birthdate, important numbers, or where you live.
• Keep your location safe. Never share where you live or where you are with anyone. It is important to keep the locations of others safe as well.
• Do not share photos of you or your family members.
• Do not use numbers that are personally identifiable such as your driver’s license number, wedding date, VIN numbers, locker combination, social security number, or any other type of number that can help predators identify you.

These preventions can be applied to all aspects of web use for communicating online, socializing, sharing images, gaming, purchasing products, identity theft, fraud, and others.

For Kids:

• Never give out personal information such as where you live, your name, and your phone number when in a chat room.
• Never send a picture of yourself without a parent’s permission.
• Do not continue speaking with a person that has made you feel scared or uncomfortable. Tell a parent if this happens.
• Without your parent's permission, don’t meet someone or have them visit you.
• Do not trust anyone, they could be lying to you.
• To be safe, keep the computer in a room used often by family members.
• Speak out when you are being bullied. Telling an adult is not a sign of weakness. Tell a trusted adult if you are being bullied.

Simple Crime Prevention:

Anyone can be a target of even the simplest of crimes. Here are some tips to keep you safe in your everyday life:

-Always be aware of your surroundings and who is around you. Take time to observe what people are wearing and what they look like in case you have to describe it later to someone.
-Do not leave any items in your car that may be seen as valuable to someone else. Do not give thieves the opportunity. Put valuables in the trunk or cover them so they are not visible from the outside.
-Do not leave packages on your door step or allow mail to pile up at your door. It is a sign that you are not home or that you do not care for your mail.
-Leave a light on throughout the night inside or outside your house to tell burglars you’re at home.
-When attacked, strike back by hitting a vulnerable spot or create a distraction to flee quickly.
-Do not fight back for your possessions if the thief is armed.
-Be cautious of strangers who want to use your phone.
-Check the floor and backseat of your car before getting in.
-Be defensive when driving. Park in well lit areas and gather all of your items before getting out.
-When using public transportation, wait in well lit areas, stand near other people, and use a schedule that reduces your wait time. But above all, be aware of strangers.
-While at home, do not answer the door for anyone that puts you in an uncomfortable situation.
-Keep doors and windows locked, install deadbolts on exterior doors, and have a lock on your bedroom door.

These simple things can keep you a lot safer and promote others to be safe as well.