Garbage truck drivers provide second set of eyes in Kennewick neighborhoods

Steve Thompson was working an early shift as a residential garbage truck driver in Kennewick one morning when he noticed something odd on Tenth Avenue.

The front door on someone’s home was left wide open.

It got weirder.

“There were some people running out of a house with a TV,” Thompson said.

He called the Kennewick police to let them know.

Thompson, who lives in Pasco, has worked as a Waste Management driver for nearly two decades. He often departs about 5 a.m.

He joined 20 other drivers Wednesday morning to hear more about Waste Watch, a collection of special training sessions that partners garbage truck drivers with local law enforcement.

“This program encourages you,” Thompson said. “I’ve called (for help) several times.”

The Waste Watch program started 12 years ago and focuses on drivers observing and reporting anything out of the ordinary to law enforcement while on their collection routes.

Waste Management, the company that contracts with Kennewick for garbage removal, funds the program at no cost to cities or police departments, said Kris Spilsbury, the company’s director of field investigations. He came in from Tempe, Ariz., for the training.

Drivers are encouraged to notice things such as open doors, suspicious activity or odd items.

An abundance of over-the-counter drug boxes or hazardous materials could be an indication of something worth mentioning to police, Spilsbury said.

“If you see something that is unique to that house, you call the police department,” Spilsbury said to drivers. “That may be the bit of evidence that they need for that arrest.”

Kennewick police received word of the Waste Watch program about two weeks ago, and is now one of more than 100 participating communities, said Mike Blatman, the police department’s crime prevention specialist.

Since garbage truck drivers roam neighborhoods at different hours, it gives them great opportunities to keep an eye out, Blatman said.

“They’ve been doing it informally around here for a long time,” Blatman said. “This is just pulling it all together.”

The training can help newer and continuing drivers know when to act, who to call and when to call when an incident occurs.

Some drivers, and the general public, sometimes wait to report things, even if they see something in the very early hours of the day.

“It’s good historical information, but it’s not good to act on,” Blatman said.

Mike Slack has worked for Waste Management for 29 years. At least 15 of those years have been spent in Kennewick as a route manager.

“We’ve had a lot of long-term employees,” Slack said. “They know the community.”

Wednesday’s training was part of what Slack describes as a continuing learning process throughout a driver’s career.

“They’re aware of their ever-changing surroundings,” Slack said. “There’s so much going on for these guys to break down in their head.”

Spilsbury said that Waste Management drivers have prevented crimes and even saved lives.

He stresses safety first and foremost. Drivers should think about a situation before they act, he told them before the sessions wrapped up.

“Your responsibility at the end of the day? Go home to your family,” Spilsbury said.

This story was originally published August 3, 2016 at 7:56 PM with the headline "Garbage truck drivers provide second set of eyes in Kennewick neighborhoods."