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Chief Flores details crisis-intervention rescue and expanding mental-health training; commission approves commendation and a hire
Summary
Chief Steven Flores reported a crisis-intervention rescue by Officer Farfan, described an expanding mental-health training program, and the commission voted to place a letter of commendation in the officer’s file and to approve hiring a replacement for Corporal Ron Olson.
Chief Steven Flores told the Saint John Police Commission on Feb. 11 that the department responded to multiple incidents in December and January and described a Feb. 5 crisis-intervention call in which Officer Farfan assisted a man who was contemplating suicide.
Flores said the officer escorted the man from Lake Hills Drive, provided resources, and confirmed later that the subject arrived at the Indiana Center for Recovery in Mishawaka for treatment. Flores read an email from the subject praising the officer: “Dear Officer Farfan, I will see you when I get back from treatment. I have too much to give and too many experiences that can help others get through the trauma... Know I’m grateful to you.”
A commissioner moved and the panel approved by voice vote that Chief Flores place a letter of commendation in Officer Farfan’s personnel file; Flores said supervisors had already submitted an awards request and the department would process it.
Flores also gave the department’s monthly activity figures: for December he reported approximately 21,295 miles logged, about 582 law incidents, 24 arrests and 32 charges filed; for January he reported roughly 22,726 miles logged, about 564 law incidents, 31 arrests and 35 charges. Flores attributed a portion of theft totals to phone scams that often target elderly residents and urged vigilance.
Flores described the department’s crisis-intervention training: it began with one trained officer, has expanded to three officers, and is taught as roughly a week-long course for officers, firefighters and jail staff; the program is being shared regionally with assistance from the Griffith Police Department’s social worker, Flores said, and the chief expressed a goal of training enough personnel to cover both shifts.
Under new business Flores reported that Corporal Ron Olson resigned to take a federal position with the Drug Enforcement Administration; the commission approved beginning background investigations and offering a conditional hire from the 2025 lateral-hire list to replace him by voice vote.
The meeting record contains transcription variants and some garbled numerals for warnings and totals; where the transcript was unclear the article uses approximate language rather than exact tallies.
