Let’s jump into our next Participating Officer Highlight, shall we? This participating officer we have known for a while now, as his agency was a part of BlueBridge’s pilot program! We can’t wait to tell you more about Sergeant Shaun Nestor!
Sergeant Nestor has been a commissioned officer for the past 19 years with the Puyallup Police Department. He started out as a Reserve Police Officer, but then became a full-time provisional officer to help out temporarily. However, it ended up being not-so-temporary as he has been fully commissioned since. He was even promoted to Sergeant last year! (Congratulations Sergeant!)
He has been a participating officer for BlueBridge for over 2 years now, and is a huge advocate for the program. He is one of the top users for Puyallup PD! In fact, Sergeant Nestor won the “Bridge Builder” award for his agency. This was awarded to him for his frequent use of the program, and the quality interactions he had in 2024. He was truly building bridges in Puyallup.
BlueBridge helps officers connect with members in the community in ways they wouldn’t be able to otherwise. Sergeant Nestor shared with us about a time he used BlueBridge to help a woman who was escaping an abusive relationship who was stranded with no gas. Her and her children had enough money for gas, but morenot for a hotel room that night. Sergeant Nestor was able to use his BlueBridge card to get them a hotel room for the night so she could have time to figure out their next steps with additional resources the following day. This is a perfect example of BlueBridge being that bridge that people need in the moment to get to the long-term help they need as well as building that much needed trust.
In fact, when asked how BlueBridge helped him build trust with specific groups or individuals in the community who may have had negative perception of law enforcement- he actually revisited that same story with the woman and her kids. “She has had a number of run-ins with law enforcement; she has been arrested several times and felt cops were “out to get her”. By getting her a hotel room for the evening, she found herself “on the other side” and saw that police officers are not just law enforcers, but caretakers for the community,” says Sergeant Nestor.
These moments with the community are truly impactful to both parties. Sergeant Nestor shared that having BlueBridge means” having a resource that is not laden with bureaucracy. Sometimes we just need a few dollars to solve the problem in the moment.” Well said Sergeant.
Lastly, one of our favorite things to share about our participating officers is a moment they used BlueBridge that really stuck with them. Sergeant Nestor shared that his was when he was arresting an abusive and controlling husband. The victim wife was left without access to any funds, so he used his BlueBridge card to purchase her a gift card to her local grocery store. This gave her the ability to buy food until other resources were available.
We are so thankful for Sergeant Shaun Nestor and his advocacy for our program. He shared with us that “more people need to be aware of the program. Let’s spread the word!” We couldn’t agree more! Thank you for all your hard work Sergeant.
Lastly, we would like to say that we are so proud to share our participating officers’ experiences with you! A Huge part of the BlueBridge mission is to make Police Officers’ lives easier. We find that BlueBridge has a positive effect on job satisfaction- as it gives officers more opportunities to help people the way they believe best fits. We hope that you folks enjoy reading about their experiences and takeaways.
If you want to help Puyallup Police Department by donating to their BlueBridge program, please donate here: https://bluebridgealliance.org/puyallupwapd/.
If you want to donate to Bluebridge as a whole- we would love to invite you on this journey! Your support can make a world of difference. Please consider making a donation today and become a part of the BlueBridge Alliance family. Donate here: https://bluebridgealliance.org/donate/.