‘We rise and we fall together’ College donates $10,000 to buy bulletproof vests for city police
A donation from Washington & Jefferson College to Washington’s police department is just one example of an ongoing, collaborative relationship between the two entities, said W&J President Dr. Tori Haring-Smith.
“I always say … we live in one anothers’ backyards, and we rise and we fall together,” she said Tuesday. “If we ever forget that, it’s a terrible day.”
A $10,000 donation from the college will be used for new bulletproof vests for all 31 members of the city police department.
“The more the town thrives, the safer the town is, the more beautiful the town is, the more economically vibrant it is, the better for the college,” said Haring-Smith. “And the better that the college is in terms of our vibrancy and our ability to pull people around the country – around the world – to see Washington, Pa., the better off the town is.”
Police Chief Robert Wilson said the department’s policy is every officer wears a bulletproof vest at all times. The donation, plus an $11,000 grant, will greatly defray the $28,000 cost of the vests, which must be replaced every five years.
“The society we live in, nowadays, you just never know what you’ll get on calls,” Wilson said. “It just gives the added protection to the officers.”
Mayor Scott Putnam said he and Haring-Smith have developed a working relationship in which they meet regularly. He said they have collaborated to eliminate blight, create a joint zoning ordinance and support the police and fire departments.
“We don’t see each other every day,” Putnam said. “But if I need something, I reach out to her, and vice versa.”
Haring-Smith said relations between the entities has been strained at times. But, she said, in the last 25 years, it has started to heal.
“We’ve had a long relationship. It goes back to when this town was first laid out in 1781. It’s the eleventh-oldest college-community collaboration in this country,” Haring-Smith said. “People are concerned about the tax-free nature of the college, but that’s the college. We will never move. We’re here. We’re here to stay, and we’re here to support the community.”