CITY
Program in North Carolina could serve as model for local efforts Shenandoah considers emergency fund to help first responders provide aid
any funds to handle,” Zoerb said. “For example, if [somebody’s] car was broken down and they didn’t have a place to stay for the night … there weren’t any resources. ... It was frustrating as an o cer. We’re sup- posed to be a solution.” Zoerb said the fund he created is available for o cers to use and is accessible through a city credit card. To access the funds, o cers go through an o cer ranking sergeant or higher to determine if the funds can be used. In Charlotte, the program is funded through tax-deductible donations. “Most of the time it is local busi- nesses donating to the police depart- ment for the city to be able to use,” Zoerb said. “It doesn’t require a lot of funds. ... We’ve never had a negative response from anybody. The way it has worked, I call a few businesses
Officer Rick Zoerb explains the fund he established to Shenandoah City Council.
BY ANDREW CHRISTMAN Shenandoah City Council members are considering the implementation of a rst responder emergency relief fund aer hearing a presentation from a North Carolina police o cer during a June meeting. The o cer said his municipality has successfully implemented the program, which uses donations to create a fund from which emergency personnel can draw to help others. North Carolina, detailed a fund he established within his department in that provides assistance within his community. Mayor Ritch Wheeler invited Zoerb to speak aer hearing about the program during a business meeting. “When I was on patrol, I discovered community needs that there weren’t The presentation from police o cer Rick Zoerb of Charlotte,
USES FOR EMERGENCY FUND A first responder fund could be financed through donations. A similar program in Char- lotte, North Carolina, sees an average use of one to three times daily for uses such as:
Replacing a flat tire
Covering hotel room costs
Purchasing groceries
Replacing shoes
SOURCE: CITY OF SHENANDOAH/COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
Shaw said he hopes the program could become something used across Montgomery County. Wheeler said he could see a sim- ilar fund being used in the city in the event of a ood or hurricane to help residents and people traveling through the city. “We have , people traveling through Shenandoah every day on I- , and you think about how many times our police o cers come into contact with somebody ... where they could help them,” Wheeler said.
in January, and we receive enough funding to last the whole year.” In the case of larger purchases, Zoerb said the department will ask for donations. No action was taken following the presentation and a vote was not planned at press time. Zoerb said the emergency need fund has been well-received in Charlotte, and he believes it could be bene cial to Shenandoah as well. Shenandoah Police Chief Raymond Shaw said his o cers make similar purchases out of their own pockets.
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The Woodlands edition • July 2019
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