City of Lakewood announcement.

Rumor: “I heard that our Puyallup Police Officers really love donuts.”

Yes, our officers love donuts…especially ones with sprinkles! The history behind police officers’ love affair with the humble donut goes back many decades. Legend has it that back in the 40s and 50s, before 24-hour restaurants and fast-food chains, the only place open in the wee hours to get a snack was the donut shop. These stores often opened early, around 4 am, to beat the breakfast rush. Officers working the graveyard shift would often visit these establishments for a cup of coffee and a quick, affordable snack…a donut. If you had to work at 4 am, wouldn’t you want a donut too?

Police officers around the country, since then, have embraced this stereotype and often joke about it. Today, in Puyallup, we like to think that our officers enjoy a more well-balanced nutritional approach to eating. With Valentine’s Day approaching, what our officers LOVE more than a donut is kindness and support. So, for February, show your love for our officers. Tell them that you care about their work and dedication. Here are some ways to show love for our law enforcement.

1. Volunteer – Our Police Department has a variety of programs where you can get involved, including our popular Citizens’ Academy. This eight-week course gives you a behind-the-scenes look into the operations of the Police Department. To learn more and sign up, please go to our website page.
2. Participate in a Block Watch – Neighborhood Block Watches are a powerful tool to discourage criminal activity and help our officers too. Criminals don’t like being watched, and if they get the feeling they are being watched, they’ll go elsewhere. Learn how you can start your own Neighborhood or Apartment Block Watch by visiting our website page.
3. Follow Police on Social Media – The Puyallup PD social media channels, including Facebook and Twitter, are the best places to get real-time information about incidents in our community. They also use these channels to communicate important programs, projects, events, and other topics to the community. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
4. Get your Kids Involved – Puyallup PD has programs for kids including our Police Explorers program, Chief for a Day, and PD building tours just to name a few. The department is also blessed to have a strong School Resource Officers (SROs) team. Our SROs are fully commissioned, uniformed police officers assigned to keeping our schools and students safe. Next time your kid sees one of our SROs, tell them to say hi. Encouraging positive relationships between officers and students help the next generation of residents make good decisions.
5. Compliment an Officer – If you had a positive experience with one of our officers, we want to know about it! Contact our Police Chief, Scott Engle, or one of our Command Staff about your experience. Similarly, if you have a complaint or question, we want to hear that as well. Learning how we can do better is always a priority for our Police Department.

These actions tell our Police Department that you care. And kindness is worth way more than the price of a donut.

SUBMIT A RUMOR

Have you heard a rumor around town that you want us to answer? Submit your rumor to us at rumors@puyallupwa.gov. We will pick a rumor each month and feature it in on our website. Before you submit, here are some ground rules to keep in mind.

1. Rumor cannot contain offensive, explicit, or foul language.
2. The rumor cannot contain defamatory or derogatory statements about a particular city employee, volunteer, or elected official.
3. The rumor should not contain information that promotes a particular political party or religion.
4. The contents of the rumor cannot encourage illegal conduct or violation of any federal, state, or City law.
5. The rumor cannot contain content that discriminates against people who are members of a protected class.