Following is a letter I received last week regarding last Wednesday’s column in which I sputtered over a malnourished, allegedly starved young girl being fed Pop Tarts, popcorn and pretzels by Mukilteo police who took her in charge for safekeeping until Child Protective Services took over.
Apparently, someone in the Mukilteo Police Department read the column and showed it to the chief of police, who then wrote this letter. As it was emailed directly to me and didn’t appear in letters to the editor, I think it is only fair that I reproduce it here, with Chief Caldwell’s permission.
Dear Ms. Walton,
Thank you for the article regarding the malnourished girl removed from a Mukilteo home recently.
Any allegation of child mistreatment/abuse is an important topic worthy of being brought into the open.
While I cannot discuss specifics of the case investigation or details about the girl’s condition, I would like to say that if citizens suspect that abuse is occurring, they should be encouraged to report it to 911 immediately to protect the nation’s children from those who would harm them. This appeal for information from the citizenry applies to elder abuse and domestic abuse as well.
Regarding the concern that the officers fed her something that might not be entirely healthy,
I applaud them for recognizing the desperate state she appeared to be in and for removing her from the home to eventual medical care. Our officers were working closely with Child Protective Services and our primary motivation was her immediate safety. The officers reached to the vending machine in the police station and, while their choices may not have met some people’s dietary guidelines, the items were available and met her immediate needs.
I am not justifying or trying to minimize, but pretzels and popcorn are low fat, high fiber snacks recommended by many dieticians.
As a 30-plus-year veteran of professional law enforcement, including more than two years as the commander of the Washington State Basic Law Enforcement Academy where I directly oversaw the initial training for more than 600 entry level and lateral officers, I too am concerned about the health and welfare of my fellow officers in Washington state. At the ripe old age of 51,
I personally can still pass the physical ability testing to enter the academy. During my academy stint I made sure the officers that trained our future peers worked out regularly in the gym where students could see them and presented nutrition and exercise advice to ensure students knew the pitfalls of easy and convenient fast food at 3 a.m. on a busy graveyard shift. With a constantly changing police call load, it is occasionally difficult to take breaks long enough to find healthy food options or even get to the police station to calmly sit down to a meal for more than a few minutes.
On a personal note —
I frequently bicycle with my family and friends, go to the gym, hike the higher peaks of the North Cascades and walk my dogs (both of which are healthy and well within the guidelines for their breed as set by our veterinarian). I also encourage my staff to stay active and healthy, while trying to set a positive example. Physical conditioning and the health of officers is a topic of frequent conversation by my peers at the executive level of policing.
I have a copy of your recipes and I promise to try all three. The Vitamix in my kitchen regularly spins similar smoothies and my wife and I are both health-conscious cooks.
In closing, I would ask that you reiterate to your readers that anytime they encounter a situation where they believe mistreatment is occurring, they should call 911 — better safe than sorry. On my end I’ll keep working to make the streets safer and the cops healthier!
Thank you again for bringing this matter to a wider audience.
Sincerely,
Rex D. Caldwell,
Chief of Police
City of Mukilteo
I have nothing to add except to thank Chief Caldwell for taking the time to write and for reminding us that we are all our “brother’s keeper.”
RECIPES
And, speaking of kids, we’re in the midst of the good old back-to-school days, with hectic schedules, homework, too little time in which to do too much, and kids who come home from school looking for something to snack on while they check Facebook, text their friends, catch up on Tweeting and perhaps even do that homework. Here are some ideas for healthy (don’t tell them) snacking that might help.
FRUITY ENERGY BARS
3 cups whole grain cereal (such as Kashi)
½ cup chopped walnuts
¼ cup each, chopped pitted dates and chopped dried tart cherries
¼ cup raisins
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
¼ cup honey
¼ cup light corn syrup
Spray a 9-inch square metal baking pan with cooking spray. In a bowl, mix together the cereal, nuts, dates, cherries and raisins.
Combine the peanut butter, honey and corn syrup in a small saucepan; bring to a boil over med. heat, whisking constantly, until mixture bubbles and thickens slightly (about 1 min.). Pour over the cereal mixture and stir to blend. Transfer mixture to the prepared pan; press to compact. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven about 10 min., or until just golden around the edges. Cool completely; cut into 1½ x 2½-inch bars. Store bars in a single layer between sheets of foil in an airtight container at room temp.
Note: These are good for a breakfast on the run as well as after school snacking.
These snack cakes are also great for those mornings when the kids need breakfast in a hurry or come home looking for a snack.
OATMEAL SNACK CAKES
½ cup butter, at room temp.
½ cup shortening
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
3 T. boiling water
½ t. baking soda
¾ cup flour
¾ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup rolled oats, pulsed a few times in the food processor
¼ t. salt
Cream together butter, shortening and both sugars.
Put boiling water in a bowl; add baking soda. Add this to the creamed mixture, beating well. Add remaining ingredients. Roll dough out on a floured surface to your preferred thickness and cut into bars or shapes of your choice. Put on a baking sheet lightly sprayed and bake at 350 degrees about 7 min. or until golden brown. Cool; store in an airtight container.
This next recipe works for adults and kids when you’re craving something sweet, especially if you love cheesecake but don’t have time to make one or don’t want it around because you know you’ll eat too much of it. This is one kids can make for themselves, by the way.
CHEESECRACKERS
3 oz. cream cheese (light or Neufchatel), softened 10 seconds in microwave
3 T. strawberry jam (or jam of preference)
Graham crackers, broken into squares or rectangles
Mix together the cream cheese and jam. Spread on graham crackers and eat immediately, or chill for
½ hr., which will soften the cracker and firm the topping, making it more like cheesecake.
And here’s one way to give up the potato chip habit, but still have potato chips.
MICROWAVE POTATO CHIPS
1 Russet potato, cut into paper thin slices
salt (optional)
parchment paper
Cut parchment paper to fit a microwave safe plate. Lay the potato discs on the paper in one layer and none touching. Salt, if desired. Cover with another sheet of parchment paper. Microwave on high 5-6 min. You should have golden brown, no fat, potato chips.
Note: If you sprinkle these with a bit of garlic salt or seasoned salt, they’re not bad, really.
