I am a daily reader of the Kewanee police blotter. Every day. I can’t miss it because it’s sent to my inbox in the morning, and then I edit it before publishing it on the website and Facebook. It’s different every day; from a dog at large, to another dog at large, to a traffic stop most often resulting in a warning and sometimes a citation. A few traffic accidents occur here and there, most of them minor fender benders, but there are more serious calls and I have often wondered what it must be like in the day of a Kewanee Police officer.
So being curious, I picked up my phone and called Kewanee Police Chief Nicholas Welgat, and asked for a ride-along. I was hoping the answer would be of course and I am happy to report it was.
It took a few months to get it all coordinated. I am thankful to Deputy Chief Stephen Kijanowski, who put me in touch with Lt. Justin Frank, and a date was settled on for a Saturday. I arrived a few minutes early, and thought I would make a joke about having to be issued my official police gear.
It was no joke, and when I met with Officer Eric Hamilton, the police officer who drew the short straw that day and had to get the tag-along, he ushered me into a room and showed me a couple of the bullet-proof vests, one of which I would be wearing.
Vests are as bulky and as heavy as you would think and I was required to wear mine on the outside of my clothing, and as usual, I hadn’t really dressed for the occasion. Officer Hamilton assisted me at getting it over my head, and soon we were seated in his squad car.
I will just say, I didn’t know what to expect that day, but what made me feel better, is that Officer Hamilton didn’t know either. Just like in the local news business, policing can’t be planned. Some days are slow and predictable, while other days, it’s a wild amusement ride that you can’t get off. Belted into Officer Hamilton’s squad car, I had no way of knowing what kind of day he would have.
We did the routine checks of radar, computer systems, the radio, cameras. He, like every other Kewanee officer, wears a bodycam, which they activate at every public interaction and call. Everything was a go, but we would need to wait for a call, since the two officers on duty that day took turns. It gave me some time to flesh out his philosophy about policing, and I am glad it did.
In any agency and organization, a fish rots from the head, but the opposite is even more true. Strong, compassionate leadership makes for a police force that understands its number one objective is to serve the public. I once got the opportunity to interview Chief Nicholas Welgat and one line he told me that day has always stuck with me. When he sends his officers out on patrol, he always reminds them to be nice.
“You have to be a counselor, psychologist and friend,” Officer Hamilton said. “If we go out to a call, you have to treat people the way you would want to be treated.”
It’s the reason that if you look in the police blotter, so many drivers are issued warnings rather than tickets.
“No one is perfect,” he said. “If someone is having a bad day, do we need to issue a $160 ticket?”
That philosophy was formed early on in his childhood. Officer Hamilton has known that he wanted to be a police officer since he was a kid. His goal was to help people. He’s been on the Kewanee force for 15 years, and he works for Black Hawk College and Neponset as well. But of course, reality is much different and his childhood hope was to save the world.
“But you can’t,” he said. “But you can make a difference to just one person having a bad day. Sometimes they need a handshake, a break or a hug.”
Our first call finally came in- an open 9-1-1 call. Usually that means someone accidently called 9-1-1, but officers are required to make contact to ensure everyone is safe. We waited for the dispatch to call back the resident and then were notified that the caller had an old open warrant, which would require officers to locate the subject and bring them in.
The subject was located at a second location, and when we pulled up, I noticed a young boy on the porch, dressed in a football jersey, ready for a game. “Oh no, a child.” I said. Officer Hamilton seemed to agree as he told me to wait in the car and headed towards the door.
After about 15 minutes, he returned to the car and told me what had occurred. He asked them if they had wanted the boy to go into the house so he wouldn’t hear what he had to say, but they assured Officer Hamilton that they didn’t keep secrets from him.
He then informed them of the warrant, and that it would require them to take the subject to the police station. I had witnessed the young boy crying and it broke my heart. But Officer Hamilton spent a few minutes establishing a connection with the boy, and assured him that everything would be alright, and the boy did stop crying.
In order to get the parents to the boy’s football game that afternoon, Officer Hamilton told them to get on the phone and somehow get the $300 bond required to get them out of Kewanee holding cell. Otherwise, they would be transferred to Henry County Jail and wouldn’t be able to see a judge until Monday. After the subject was able to get a friend on the phone and secure a large portion of the money, they were placed, unhandcuffed, into another officer’s squad car.
After a quick 20-minute stop at the police station, the subject was bonded out, and on their way. While not exactly a happy ending, it could have been worse, and it must have felt like a win to not only Officer Hamilton but to the young boy whose parents got to see him play football that day. While at the station, the next call came in; an illegal burn on Roseview Avenue.
We pulled up to the blaze in the alleyway, and the smell was noxious. It looked like the homeowner was burning furniture pieces, which isn’t allowed under the city burn ordinance. Both officers that arrived on the scene couldn’t get the homeowner to come to the door. The Kewanee Fire Department was called in to put it out.
While waiting, a young boy down the block wiped out on his bicycle, and as he passed by, Officer Hamilton engaged, asking the boy if he was alright? He was, the boy assured him, and later, when the KFD arrived on the scene, that same boy returned with a friend and the firefighters allowed them to hold the hose and help put out the small fire.
Those interactions, positive ones, are part of a program called “Community Contacts” and they are noted in the blotter.
“Basically,” Officer Hamilton explained, “You go out and make sure everyone is safe and have positive interactions with people.”
I am sure those boys won’t soon forget their interactions with both departments that day.
A second burn was reported and we headed over to Tremont Street. While not an illegal burn, the flames were high and near the tree line that divides the backyards of Tremont and Chestnut streets. When we arrived on the scene, we made our way to the back of the property. The burn pile was large, too large and the flames were high and uncomfortably close to a large tree.
The homeowner came out and Officer Hamilton advised her that the pile that she was attempting to burn was too large and too close to the line of trees. In the future she would need to make a smaller pile and keep it towards the middle of her property. He then offered to help her use the hose to put it out. Unfortunately the hose broke, requiring another call to the KFD. They arrived quickly, with all of their trucks and vehicles, which is required on any call they go to, and the flames were quickly extinguished.
One of the firefighters joked that I should go out on a ride-along with the fire department. “Is that possible? Is that something I could do?” I asked Officer Hamilton. He told me I would need to ask Fire Chief Stephen Welgat, and I intend to. Stay tuned.
We spent the rest of the time riding through neighborhoods, but Officer Hamilton had reports to write and he returned me to the station. I was glad that I got a feel of what it’s like to be a Kewanee Police officer. It’s not an easy job and I don’t think I ever expected it to be. But I think it helps when you love the community you serve, and Officer Hamilton, who raised his family here, clearly does.
We chatted briefly about all the benefits going on for the Police Chief, Chris Woods and Councilman Steve Faber. Kewanee has its issues, he admits, but every community does. What he loves about his town is the strength, spirit and resiliency of its residents, and the way it comes together for a cause.
“When you look at the community, and the way they rally around everything,” he said, “I’m proud to be a Kewanee citizen.”
Me, too Officer Hamilton. Me, too.
