President Brad wished the membership welcome and acknowledged the great weather.
Announcements:
For something "different", President Brad asked all of the members to get up and meet and introduce themselves to all of the "red" badge members and all guests of members.
Nathan Twining reminded the members of the "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" event slated for March 20, 6:00 p.m. Sign-up sheets will be on the table for the next few weeks so please sign up to be a host or guest. Contact Bruce or Nathan Twining if you have any questions.
President Brad called six members to come up to the podium: Del VandeKerk, Chuck Snyder, Nathan Twining, Bob Trunek, Mark Knittel and Catherine Riordan. They were recognized for their attendance at the District Seminar.
There is a District Training Assembly, Saturday, April 11 in Surrey, B. C. from 8:00 - 2:30 p.m.
The District Conference this year is April 30 - May 3 at the Tulalip Resort & Casino. Registration information is on our club website.
Guests of Rotarians:
Del VandeKerk introduced David Don and Flo Simon with the Bellingham Police Department. Flo is also a Bellingham Bay Rotarian.
Tim Farris brought Dan Dalgren
Teri Treat introduced Chris Lyddan with RISI
Dominique Zervas brought Seana Oldberg with Savi Bank
Bruce MacCormack introduced Daniel Kirkpartrick, Director, and Roger Gilman, Board Chairman of Explorations Academy
Presentations:
A check for $1,000 was presented to the Explorations Academy by member Bruce MacCormack on behalf of our club. Academy Director Daniel Kirkpatrick and Board Chairman Roger Gilman accepted and thanked the membership for the grant.
Member Greg Grant was asked to come to the podium by President Brad to talk about his career and general background. He started by acknowledging his 26-year career in Real Estate. His receipt of the Realtor's Life Time Achievement Award was announced by President Brad for which he received a round of applause from the membership.
Program:
City of Bellingham Police Chief, Cliff Cook, accompanied by two Assistant Chiefs, was in attendance. His topic was Bellingham Police Department Body Camera Program & Community Policing. He discussed body cameras, their use, and the controls imposed upon them. He offered that their use was typically restricted to public areas as opposed to on private property. He stated that the City had entered into a contract with the supplier in the amount of $180,000, which provided some 42 units to his patrol staff. He passed out a sample for the members to view and it was passed from table to table.
Of concern was the "leaking" of sensitive recordings since the Department has to keep them on file for three years. There are apparently a lot of entities who would like to obtain recorded footage for commercial purposes and this is often requested; it is a touchy subject with the Public Information Act in force.
He closed by expressing his hope that, due to all of the recent national events and press coverage, community dialogue can still be open and constructive.
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