Welcome to the City of Plantation Podcast. In this episode, we speak to two frontline Police Officers as they discuss their thoughts on working during the COVID Pandemic and how their work environment has changed. This is part one of an ongoing series speaking with the First Responders within the City of Plantation. This Podcast is aimed at keeping the residents of Plantation informed regarding how the City and its various Departments are responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Please subscribe to this podcast, as we will be producing new episodes on a regular basis.
Guests: Ofc Robin Mahle and Ofc Chavez Grant
Hosts: Deputy Chief Joel Gordon / Acting Division Chief Ezra Lubow
Produced by: Ezra Lubow
Music: Oakwood Station - Summer Breeze Memories
Cover Art: The City of Plantation
Welcome to the City of Plantation Podcast. In this episode, we speak to two frontline Police Officers as they discuss their thoughts on working during the COVID Pandemic and how their work environment has changed. This is part one of an ongoing series speaking with the First Responders within the City of Plantation. This Podcast is aimed at keeping the residents of Plantation informed regarding how the City and its various Departments are responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Please subscribe to this podcast, as we will be producing new episodes on a regular basis.
Guests: Ofc Robin Mahle and Ofc Chavez Grant
Hosts: Deputy Chief Joel Gordon / Acting Division Chief Ezra Lubow
Produced by: Ezra Lubow
Music: Oakwood Station - Summer Breeze Memories
Cover Art: The City of Plantation
Hello plantation. Welcome to the city of plantations podcast. I'm dr Jay formerly with plantation information radio. Thank you for tuning in. We hope the information provided within the episodes of this podcast helped keep you, your family and your friends safe during this pandemic.
Speaker 2:So we're privileged to be joined today by two plantation police officers, Chavez, grant and Robin male. Welcome everybody. Hi, how you doing? Thank you for having us. Great. Thank you for being here. So what we wanted to do today is, is chat with our first responders about how this whole covert outbreak has really impacted them. And we have the two officers here today and we're going to ask them specific questions and we're just going to chat a little bit about what's going on and how their lives are affected and how their jobs are affected by this. So let's start right off. And basically I'm going to ask the both of you is, how has the Colvin virus changed your daily routine? What is different?
Speaker 3:Well, what I can say is, is most different is, um, just pretty much how we interact with people. Um, it's a little more different. We're a little more cautious about how we deal with them. Um, I know one of the most important parts that, that we've preset the department. And one of the things that I think about when I arrived to the scene is, um, on any scene is that the more people we deal with, the more chance we have at being exposed, but also the more chance that we had to expose the next group of people that, that we encounter or, you know, the next call that we go to. So it's just about being more cautious, being more, you know, uh, cognizant of social distance and things like that, but, and, uh, you know, if you have to go hands on and things of that nature, but, uh, you know, the, the, the greatest thing we think about is how can we keep ourselves safe and, you know, not, not contaminate the, you know, our community.
Speaker 4:And I think on top of that, um, the call volume has changed a lot as well. Not as many people are calling, cause not as many people are out and about. Um, and also there, um, some of the calls are, all our sergeants are having us make landline now instead of going out there to actually potentially expose us or them or the next group of people.
Speaker 2:So just like tele-medicine, it's almost like tell a law enforcement. Right. So let's, let's talk about that. What you just mentioned referenced to fewer calls for service. You know, w as we just said, telemedicine like tele law enforcement. Um, how do you think that impacts the community that fewer people are calling and requesting service?
Speaker 4:Um, well I think that people, people aren't out driving as much, so you're not getting into road rage incidents or accidents. You're not getting into disturbances at the park or at a business. So I think it could be helping people, you know, stay home and not have those issues.
Speaker 5:But what, you know, one of the things I do want to mention though is the other day we did have chief Harrison in here and we talked about, uh, some of the calls that we are getting now and the strain that it may be putting on limited resources such as calls for people who aren't wearing masks or congregating in parks or whatever. What have you seen with that?
Speaker 4:I think lately, um, people are quick to call when they don't see it because they're trying to practice those measures themselves with the social distancing and wearing the mask and they get frustrated when they see other people not following the order. Um, but if nobody wants to meet with us, it's hard to talk to them about it. So some of the calls, if it's a party at somebody's private house, we're not really responding to something like that cause it's their house if they want to do it now, if it's in a public place at a park or a parking lot or something, then we'll respond for something like that.
Speaker 3:Yeah. I think it's important just for people to think about, you know, what, what risk are these people, you know, posing. So if you're looking out your window and you see two people walking past, you know, your residents and they're just going for a walk and they don't have mask on, then you know, it's not that big of a deal as opposed to someone, you know, walking around in Publix or you know, a place like that that doesn't have a mask on or you know, or like, you know, like my partner here said, if someone's having a party at their home, you know, in their backyard or you see through the window that they're having a party, it's something of that nature. You know, there's not a lot that we can do about that. And, and again, it's someone in their home. So, you know, I just want the community to think about, you know, what, what, what risk is being posed in, you know, like you said, sometimes there's drains that are resource to have to go out and address these issues.
Speaker 5:All right, very good. Following up on that, what do you think for the law enforcement professional, the law enforcement officer, specifically our officers, what is the greatest threat to you from coven?
Speaker 3:I think the greatest threat is, I know from my standpoint in a lot of the other officers at the PD is, you know, someone at the PDB and exposed and being that we work so closely, um, and you know, a lot of times in groups, um, you know, being exposed and then passing it on to, you know, our administration, other officers and you know, like I said before previously, most importantly, you know, other community members that we come into contact with. So, you know, the, I know one of the things that that would really upset me is to be exposed to Colvin and then respond to calls for the rest of the day. And in fact, you know, the community who was calling for help. So you know, that, that's one of my concerns. And, and of course, taking it back home to my family. So, you know, those are some of the things we think about.
Speaker 4:I was going to say on top of that, taking it back home to family and, and I'm, my husband is also in law enforcement for a different agency and you know, if I get infected from our, from our department, then I bring it home to him and, and then all my family because we've all been kind of quarantined together and we see my parents and my inlaws on a daily basis. So I would also bring it home to them and then whoever they are in contact with as well. So.
Speaker 5:So do you think that the bigger threat due to the virus is, is contracting it personally from the individuals in the community that you interact with or is the bigger threat not practicing proper viral hygiene and bringing it back to your family or the organization?
Speaker 3:I think it's a little bit of both. Um, I don't, I don't think I would put one over the other. I think it's a little bit of both, you know, having to tow that line and kind of figure out, you know, which is more of a threat. Um, because for all of us, we think about our family force and foremost, but at the same time, you know, we got in his job to help people. And the last thing you want to do is, you know, pass on, you know, this virus or something.
Speaker 5:Right. Absolutely right. All right, very good.
Speaker 2:So, so here's an interesting perspective. Um, and maybe you guys are too young to even remember this, but, um, after nine, 11, you know, first responders were big community heroes and we were celebrated and, and you know, everything was, was just amazing and like everything else that, that kind of wore away over time. Now we're starting to see that again. You hear the conversation, you see the promotions on TV, you know, covert heroes, community heroes, whatever. Are you seeing any of that? What kind of reactions do you get from the community when you go out there and work with people?
Speaker 4:I do get a lot more thank you for your service or be safe. Um, so I think, I don't know if it's quite the same as right after nine 11. It was, that was a very big incident that happened. But I do think that we are getting a little bit more appreciation these days.
Speaker 3:Right? Yeah. Yeah. I agree. I agree. Uh, for the record, I was in sixth grade.
Speaker 2:Oh, so you were, you were all, you were older than then. That makes me feel old. Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3:Sixth grade. But yeah, I would echo what, uh, what Robin is saying. Um, a lot of times, you know, you get the thank you's and the be safe. And I think that, uh, with everything that's going on, especially on TV, I think is kind of bringing into perspective, you know, the, uh, the first responders and our medical care workers, you know, those workers or essential workers who have to work every day, you know, that continued to expose ourselves to potential dangers. And I think that, I think that people are seeing that.
Speaker 5:Yeah. Because nationally, and I mean, I won't take a deep dive into this, but nationally we've seen that it's been quite difficult to be a law enforcement officer. Right? I mean times have changed and the society sees it a little bit differently. Right. So from your perspective, if things are making a turnaround, do you think that that will have lasting effect on the law enforcement community?
Speaker 3:I think it will in some ways. Um, because, uh, again, uh, I, I think sometimes what happens is when, when things like this don't happen, people kind of get, uh, kinda get detached from what we do on a daily basis. And when things like this happen, they understand, you know, what we do and how we continuously do it, you know, exposing ourselves to the dangers. Uh, you know, like he mentioned nine, 11, uh, you know, a lot of people loved firefighters before them, but now when you really see it on a grand scale and what they really have to go through and some of the sacrifices they make, you know, it brings it into perspective and then kind of helps people see it. So I think that this will have somewhat of a lasting effect.
Speaker 4:I hope so. And I think that typically people forget that we show up. Officers are called during, you know, one of the worst times in their lives or, or an incident that happened that's got them completely distraught. So they think of us as responding to for the bad situation. And I think they forget that we're actually there to help.
Speaker 5:Right. Yeah, no, absolutely. I think, I think this draws attention to you because, and correct me if I'm wrong or agree or disagree, but I think at the foundation of it, it's reconnecting law enforcement to the community.
Speaker 3:Absolutely. Yeah, I absolutely agree with that. Um, it, it is all, it is all about connecting with the community and, you know, like I said, when things like this don't happen, you get that kind of disconnect. But, um, this kind of brings that connect back together and us educating the community and the community calling us to be educated and, uh, you know, us responding to calls and, you know, it just reinforced the education and the connection between the community and, you know, helping everyone understand that we're all in this together. You know, I think that one of the, one of the greatest things is that, uh, people understand that, you know, we can contract this to um, you know, because we are people just as they are. Um, and I think when they understand that that's why they show more appreciation when they see us wearing a mask because we don't want to contract the virus. I think that helps them understand that, you know, we are exposed to the danger in any kind of brings that, that kind of connection.
Speaker 5:Right. You agree Robin? I agree completely. Yeah. And I think it's important is, as you said earlier, not just to protect yourselves, but in the process of doing so, you're protecting the rest of the community by not causing the spread. Right? Right,
Speaker 3:right. Yup, absolutely. Absolutely.
Speaker 5:I think we all agree that we hope that this kind of horrible incident or this pandemic changes things moving forward. We see the community a lot more together. We see food drives and we see people helping people and neighbor helping neighbor. We see the community a lot more in touch with their fire department, their police department. And even their city officials and we kind of see everybody banding together to get through this. So, you know, I'm hopeful. I'm sure you are, that, that this moves forward and stays that way, even if we can keep maybe a percentage of it. Right. I mean, hopefully at least at least that's a benefit. Yeah,
Speaker 3:yeah, absolutely. It's just a reminder as to, uh, you know, what, we can do a community and I think it's good for people to see that. Um, even if it's exposed in this, in this pandemic or this unfortunate time. Um, I think it just reminds people that, you know, we're all in this together
Speaker 4:kind of getting us back to the roots of where we used to be.
Speaker 5:Yeah. Community policing, right? I mean, that's, that's huge. And we've always, from the fire department, obviously because we're a unique fire department or combination department, we live to engage the community in, in what we do. So,
Speaker 2:so, uh, you know, with that in mind, and maybe we did touch on it a little bit, but I just, I just want to go a little bit deeper into it. Moving forward. You know, looking at where we are, where we were, and where we're going. What are some of the things you think you might do differently in the future and the way you approach your job?
Speaker 4:Um, I think just having more consideration for people and understanding, remembering that when they call us, this is a bad time in their lives and that's why they had to call the police. Like, who, who else do you call when you have an emergency? So I think just moving forward,
Speaker 5:I take, I take exception to that
Speaker 2:[inaudible]
Speaker 4:but, um, I think moving forward we have to remember that yes, they're acting up or distraught or whatever, and we have to remember that this is a dramatic event for them. And we have to put ourselves in their shoes to see, not necessarily know how they're feeling, but maybe try to understand it and cope with it a little better.
Speaker 3:Absolutely. Yeah. I think like, like Robin said, the empathy. Um, but I also think, I think for me it would be, um, you know, offering some kind of education or some kind of resources because now, you know, some people don't really know about the pandemic and you know, this person's not wearing a mask and so you have to educate them well, you know, social distancing and the mass, how those things play apart. Um, some of the resources, you know, some people call and you know, because they don't have any food on the table or you know, they lost their job and they're going through something tough. So you might offer them a resource, Hey, there's a food drive going on here, or, you know, reach out to this place for unemployment or you know, something like that. So I think I'll focus a little bit more on being educated about the resources that the department or the community can offer.
Speaker 2:And you really become more of a community advocate at anything. Right, right. Terrific. Bringing this all into perspective there again, obviously on a daily basis, your job is a challenge. And you talked about keeping yourself safe with this, with this whole covert thing, what scares you the most? What is the one thing that keeps you up at night that makes you go, Oh my goodness, now what?
Speaker 4:I think I'm contracting it and not knowing it and then bringing it home to the family and then once you do find out about it, you know you're quarantined until you can't see anybody. So God forbid something the worst were to happen, can even say goodbye to anyone. And I think that's what scares me the most.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think I agree Robin. Uh, definitely taking it back home to the family, but as I mentioned earlier, you know, contracting it, not knowing and then exposing it every other, every other person or every other call that you go to and you know, my partners and my colleagues at the PD. So I think just contracting it, not knowing as Robin says and then spreading it to other people. Absolutely
Speaker 5:scares me the most because what we know from various studies out there is there's a large percentage of people who have been infected, uh, develop some antibodies to it and never even knew, correct. Never even knew they were sick. So it begs the question, how many people did those individuals come into contact with throughout the course of day to day? No, no illness, no symptoms, no nothing, and spread it around. And then of course, you know, were people who were immunocompromised or elderly, um, you know, contract it and develop significant symptoms. So I'm with you 100%. That's what scares me. Absolutely. The most.
Speaker 4:And I know that I had responded to a call a few weeks ago and I was talking to the guy and we were doing our social distancing. We were both wearing our masks and at the end of the call he's like, Oh, by the way, I diagnosed positive two weeks ago
Speaker 3:at the end of your encounter. Not at the beginning. That would put a chill up my spine a little.
Speaker 4:But, um, I guess he had been quarantined for two weeks and he didn't have any more symptoms at that point, but didn't get tested again to see if it was gone or not. So,
Speaker 5:and you guys, I'm sure you see it as well as what we see is there's just so many sources of information out there and we know that probably I'm going to go out on a limb and say the majority are accurate. They're coming from the government, the CDC of various government organizations and medical societies. But there is a lot of disinformation out there and it creates a lot of confusion, right? There are a lot of self-professed experts who are giving expert advice and it creates a lot of confusion. Google's always my favorite. Yeah. It creates a lot of confusion amongst our community. Right. Are you seeing that? Are you seeing people with varying degrees of understanding and thought process?
Speaker 4:Absolutely. And I think that that's what's frustrating to some people the most, is that someone who does educate themselves with the right resources and then someone else who tells them something completely different that they got off of dr Google, like you said. And it's like a huge incident between the two of them. And so it turns into something.
Speaker 5:Right, right.
Speaker 3:Let's, let's try and close this off with, and you mentioned about the, you mentioned the experience you had with the, with the gentleman who told you at the end that he was, he was positive. What if you could say something to the residents, if you could just, you know, talk to them directly, which is your opportunity right here, right. What can they do to help you make your job easier? I think that if they don't know to begin with, if you don't know, educate yourself. Um, you know, go to the CDC, uh, you know, call the city. Um, we, that, I believe the city puts out a, um,
Speaker 5:okay, update regular updates twice a day because the guy who writes them is really talented, incredibly good. So, um, he's got to shame. Not at all. We get those emails twice a day. I believe you can thank me for filling your mailbox and community ones as well. So a resident one, right? Correct.
Speaker 3:Yeah. So, um, I think the best thing the community can do is if you don't know to educate yourself through the city website or through the CDC, um, or if you don't know, you need some resources, call the police department, you know, we'll, we'll be more than happy to, more than happy to help you educate yourself on, you know, on the pandemic. I think the education part will help eliminate the unnecessary calls, um, and, and draining our resources on calls that we don't need to re be responding to. Of course, social distinction, wearing masks, you know, simple things like that I think would really help us. Um, you know, on the law enforcement side where absolutely.
Speaker 4:Thanks. Just using common sense and being courteous to everybody else around you. You have to understand, you know, you're going to the grocery store for the same reason the other person is, you know, so, or you're going out and exercising for the same reason the other person. So just practice your distancing if you have to run in the grass for 10 feet because someone else won't move off the sidewalk, you know, move over. It's,
Speaker 5:we've spoke about this in the last episode. 100% absolutely. Just be patient with your fellow resident, right. Just be patient because everybody's stressed out. You know, people with kids are at home all day and then they get maybe 30 minutes to go out and exercise, trying to, you know, work off that anxiety. So yeah, I think a patient
Speaker 4:and some of us bring our kids when we exercise, so
Speaker 5:there's nowhere to go. Nowhere. No, no escape. But I do like the word you use courtesy. I think that's a key word.
Speaker 3:Yeah. Yeah. Terrific. Well,
Speaker 5:officer male officer grant, thank you so much for spending some time with us. Hopefully we gave our residents some perspective on, you know, what your job is, the challenges of it. And what they can do to hopefully help make it better and safer for you guys. So thank you very much and stay safe. Thank you for having us. Thank you. And wash your hands
Speaker 1:and listening to the city of planned patient podcasts here in plantation. We're working hard to bring you the latest, most accurate information available about the Corona virus pandemic. Remember, if you have specific questions, you can email them to ask cityHall@plantation.org don't forget to visit the COBIT 19 page on our website and register forever bridge for up to the minute changes regarding the outbreak. We want to thank you for tuning in and taking the time to listen to the experts about how to keep yourselves, your family, and your business safe and healthy during the prices. And don't forget to wash your hands, cover your cough and maintain a safe distance.