A question and answer with North/East Neighborhood Resource Officer Liz Erickson. Officer Erickson’s new position was created to work on issues impacting people experiencing housing instability in MPD’s North and East Districts. Her counterpart is Officer Matt Johnson; he is assigned to the Central District.
Q. How long have you been with MPD?
A. “Worked for MPD since 2018.”
Q. What other assignments have you had?
A. “I worked patrol for six years, community policing team for one year, mounted part-time rider, Special Events Team (SET), mental health liaison and recruiter.”
Q. What made you decide to apply for this position?
A. “Previous volunteer work at shelters. An understanding that there was a subset of the community that was underserved. A desire to make connections to strengthen community and provide resources.”
Q. How long have you been in this position?
A. “Began in early February, about three months.”
Q. What has surprised you about this position?
A. “The lack of transitional housing and the lack of resources for people living in hotels. Also, how willing people are to work with the police once there is trust.”
Q. What is one thing you’ve learned since your position began?
A. “That relationships make everything happen. Until people trust the police through meaningful connection there can’t be forward progress.”
Q. What is one goal that you have for the position going forward?
A. “To see more positive connection with officers and the unhoused community. Hopefully, PO Matt Johnson and I can build that foundation and educate the department about resources that are available to those in the unhoused community.”
Thank you to Officer Erickson for participating in this Q and A. Be sure to say hello if you see her out and about.
