At the Tillamook City Council meeting this week, City Manager Nathan George proudly presented Civilian Service Awards to Kody Dalton and Aj Harmon for going above and beyond the call of duty.
On January 18, 2023 in the early morning hours both Kody and AJ responded to an address in the 3500 block of Hawthorne Lane for a water shut off. They knew that an elderly female lived there by herself. After seeing how dire her situation was, they made the determination to not shut off her water and called the non-emergency dispatch number requesting that the Police Department respond for a welfare check on her. The following is an excerpt of what TPD Officer Mike Hanratty wrote in his police report.
“I was dispatched to a welfare check in the 3500 block of Hawthorne Lane, Tillamook, Oregon. Tillamook City employees Kody Dalton and AJ Harmon were at the residence to turn off the services to the house due to nonpayment. He knocked on the door to find an older woman who was crying and appeared in distress. Kody and AJ determined not to cut off the water and called dispatch center for a welfare check on the woman. I arrived to find 68-year-old woman who was crying because her power had been turned off this morning. She told me how the other person who lives with her has her credit card and is supposed to pay the bills. This 68-year-old woman does not have a phone and was unable to contact PUD nor pay because her roommate had her credit card. I was able to locate a phone number for her roommate and power was restored. If it wasn’t for Kody and AJ’s due diligence and having someone check on the status of this woman, it could have ended tragically due to the cold weather with no heat or water in her residence.”
We are also pleased to report that thanks to the actions of both Kody and AJ, the City has been working on establishing safeguards to monitor and obtain additional resources for elderly community members to assist in these types of situations in the future.
