Retired officer, his humor will be missed

This week we bid farewell to a brother in blue, Levi Gilliam, who retired after over two decades on the job. Levi is a well-respected member of this community and his years behind the badge never seemed to dim his enthusiasm for the people he served. I can honestly say that he was, indeed, the best story teller I have ever heard. He will be missed greatly and I feel honored to have worked with him.

Thinking back over all the "sights and sounds" he must have encountered during his years on the job reminded me, once again, that emergency services work is inherently stressful and not always positive in nature. The stress of this type of work can drain the energy one needs to provide quality care and can cause burnout if it builds up for too long.

Our preferred therapy is laughter and Levi was a great source of that. Laughter recharges batteries, cuts through energy-sapping emotions and replaces them with energizing ones. There are so many negative things happening in the world today and we invite you to join us in maintaining a more positive, upbeat, optimistic mood on life with a little humor during your week.

Let's see what has been happening in ours.

Jan. 21. Family disturbance: The caller reports that her brother is on drugs and is throwing things at her vehicle at 12:32 a.m. in the 600 block of Paloma Drive.

Domestic: A man says that his roommate threw ice at him and he feels threatened at 3:24 p.m. in the 1500 block of Becky Lane.

Thought for the day: Our advice is that if tensions have reached the level of items being thrown, it is a good time to plan on relocating.

Jan. 22. Shots: The department receives multiple 911 calls on gunshots or fireworks in the area at 1:12 a.m. in the 500 block of Hidden Cove.

Threats: A man comes to the lobby to report terrorist groups are calling him and is concerned they may be listening on the internal phone lines of the police department at 8:01 a.m. in the 1000 block of Arizona Street.

Thought for the day: All reports of suspicious activity are taken seriously and, in this case, the subject was assured the call was confidential.

Jan. 23. Suspicious: The caller is awakened by the sounds of a female screaming and throwing things at 1:41 a.m. in the 1000 block of Nevada Way.

Man down: Officers receive a report of a man lying on the side of the road near a bicycle that results in a trip to the hospital at 2:19 p.m. in the area of Veterans Memorial Drive and U.S. Highway 93.

Thought for the day: Thank you to our citizen mobile patrol callers.

Jan. 24. Medical: Officers receive a report of a young child who jumped off the couch and may have broken an arm at 9:23 a.m. in the 1300 block of Darlene Way.

Disturbance: The caller states the woman in the unit across the hall is throwing things at his door and calling him names at 1:28 p.m. in the 1000 block of Nevada Way.

Thought for the day: I am so happy that young children are so resilient and a dangerous fall ends up being just a bruise.

Jan. 25. Family disturbance: Officers respond on a report of a woman screaming for help at 12:17 a.m. in the 1000 Nevada Way.

Domestic: A man comes to the lobby to report being hit by his wife yesterday and wants to show someone the marks on his body at 12:28 p.m. in the 1000 block of Nevada Way.

Thought for the day: Some days it appears are harder than others for getting along.

Jan. 26. Assist other department: Officers assist other city departments in removal of a homeless camp and its inhabitants at 9:37 a.m. in the 600 block of Yucca Street.

Traffic crash: Officers receive a report of a pickup truck versus a light pole and it appears there was no winner at 3:49 p.m. 1000 block of Nevada Way.

Thought for the day: We seem to have an abundance of residentially challenged individuals in our city lately.

Jan. 27. Assault: Officers receive a report of a purse taken after the owner was hit on the head at 6:47 a.m. in the 1500 block of Nevada Way.

Found property: A resident is extremely happy when advised his wallet has been found and turned in at 12:03 p.m. in the 1600 block of Nevada Highway.

Thought for the day: An investigation is ongoing in regard to the purse theft.

Call(s) of the week: Suspicious: Dispatch receives a call about a possible kidnapping; however, the victim is found waiting near the suspect's vehicle for a ride to a third location and states she was getting tired of waiting at 8:13 a.m. in the 1500 block of Marita Drive on Jan. 23.

Tina Ransom is a dispatcher with Boulder City Police Department. She is coordinator of the Boulder City Citizen's Academy.