Quincy Police Department swears in new officer

QUINCY — There is a new officer on the beat in Quincy after acting Chief William Larson swore in Colton Richards during a regular city council meeting Tuesday evening.

Richards, 27, who is on his first assignment as a police officer, said he wants to work in Quincy because this is where he has settled and where he is raising a child.

“I like giving back to the community, seeing an impact from what I do,” Richards told the Columbia Basin Herald Wednesday. “I have not worked here that long but I like the community, it’s a great experience.”

Tuesday night, the Quincy City Council also unanimously approved hiring an additional full-time employee to help at the city’s animal shelter.

According to shelter manager Leticia Perez, the number of animals the shelter handles yearly has increased significantly since the shelter was built in 2014 — to 816 in 2016 from 564 its first year — and there’s just too much work for a director and an assistant to do by themselves.

“We’ve tried it with volunteers, and it just doesn’t work,” Perez told council members.

The sheer amount of work means that sometimes there is no one to answer the phone, meet visitors, or even be in the building during business hours.

“There are gaps in security, and the staff is so busy that there is no one in or around the shelter to greet people or keep watch on the equipment,” Acting Police Chief William Larson, who oversees the city’s animal shelter, told the Quincy Council.

The Quincy shelter is a “no kill” animal shelter, and Perez said she and her staff work hard to make sure every animal in their care — however they get there — has a solid chance of finding a new home.

“I want this to be a place where you can come and find your next family member,” Perez said.

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached via email at countygvt@columbiabasinherald.com.