
Sergeant Andy Feaster, serving 21 years with Longmont Public Safety, spoke to our club about his role directing the the CORE (Crisis Outreach Response and Engagement) team. Andy stated, “The CORE team is an attempt to put the right people in the right place at the right time". The CORE team responds to 911 calls for service that indicate a mental health crisis. This team is a specialized co-responder unit, comprised of a specially trained police officer, a behavioral health clinician, and a paramedic. Once on scene, members apply their specialized skills to provide triage and assessment, de-escalate crisis conditions, manage field clearances, and divert individuals with behavioral health conditions from the justice system and the emergency room - redirecting them to appropriate treatment destinations.

Zach Ardis, Longmont Public Safety Chief, believes it’s essential to connect with the community, networking with agencies and when it's necessary, challenging the status quo. Zack came to Longmont in August 2021 from Georgia with a 26 year history of public safety-police and fire. He holds a master's degree in Public Administration from Columbus State University. The Longmont Public Safety Department includes Police, Fire and Collaborative Services. The Collaborative Services Division includes three sections: Community Services-Case Management, Crisis Outreach Response and Engagement (CORE) and Internal/Facilities Services.
Zach holds to three essential elements-the PIE acronym, (and he likes the real one too). PIE stands for Professionalism, Integrity and Equality. Displaying professional conduct is essential to building trust within the community. Honesty is essential to demonstrating integrity and the Golden rule still rings true- "Treat others the way you want to be treated". For Zack the critically important issues of diversity, inclusion and equity are what will strengthen the mission to serve the people who live, work and play in Longmont.
Zack spoke about the needed diversity of the applicant pool in police and fire services. Longmont is 30-35% Hispanic and our workforce should work to reflect our community. Zack shared ideas that he is implementing to help support this goal.
Amine Tarhini was born in the southern part of Lebanon, a farming village, known for cultivating tobacco and wheat, growing olive and fig trees, and raising dairy cows and goats. He lived for 15 years in Beirut, receiving a private school education, coming to America in 1978, graduating from Texas A & M with a degree in Electrical Engineering.
In today’s Rotary program, Amine provided a current glimpse into his home land and the economic challenges of Lebanon along with the current refugee crisis.
Lebanon has plunged into one of the worst economic crisis of modern times. Now three years into the economic crisis, inflation is estimated at 210%, nearly 80 percent of Lebanon’s population live under the poverty line, and the government has repeatedly delayed promised reforms and social protection plans. Hospitals are struggling to provide care and electricity blackouts are a common occurrence. To date, no one has been held accountable for the catastrophic explosion in Beirut’s port on August 4, 2020.

Service Above Self
Longmont, CO 80501
United States of America