Sterling High grad, retired officer Peme Canas goes above and beyond call of duty

As a Davenport, Iowa police officer for 17 years, Peme Canas could not even imagine going out into the field without proper equipment.

When he read about a police staff in a remote part of Alaska that was in that very situation, the 1990 Sterling High School graduate sprung into action.

In May 2019, Canas was hanging out on a patio at a bar and grill in the Quad Cities, enjoying a nice spring day. He doesn’t care to watch much television, and gets a lot of his news from reading articles on his cellphone. One of those articles caught his attention.

It was on ProPublica, an independent, nonprofit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest. The article was about the severely under-funded police department of Savoonga, Alaska, a town of 700 people in the far western part of the state, on Saint Lawrence Island.

Canas decided to check into the situation.

“Sometimes you read things and you’re not sure if it’s actually true or you don’t believe it or it just seems a little off,” Canas said. “It was a pretty in-depth article that seemed legitimate, but just to make sure, I Googled the Savoonga, Alaska, Police Department. I called, and it just so happened the chief they interviewed was the one who answered the phone.”

The person Canas reached was Chief Michael Wongittlin, a 15-year member of the Savoonga department.

“He goes, ‘Man, you’re calling from Davenport in Iowa?’ " Canas said. “I go, ‘Yeah, I’ve been a police officer for 17 years. I can’t believe you guys don’t have any equipment. Is that true?’ "

Wongittlin explained it was not uncommon for him and his six-member staff to do their jobs with just a nightstick and a can of pepper spray. The small handguns officers carried often were no match for high-powered rifles or other firearms. There were no uniforms.

“I said, ‘I’m going to do something about that,’ " Canas said. “I have a pretty good network, and we have a lot of giving people around here. I’ll make some connections with the local departments around here like Bettenforf and Scott County and our own department. Maybe we can come up with a couple of vests and some Tasers, things like that.”

Wongittlin thanked Canas for his time and effort to that point, but was skeptical anything actually would get done.

“He said, ‘You know, I’ve heard that before, but nobody’s ever come through for us,’ " Canas said. “I told him, ‘Well, I understand, but you’ve never dealt with somebody like me before. We’ll make something happen, I guarantee it.’ ”

Canas began by sending out emails to other law enforcement entities in the area. After about a month, he had raised about $500 in donations, enough to pay for one new bulletproof vest. Canas was going to match that purchase with a second vest, paid for out of his own pocket.

He then checked with a sergeant in his own department about donating some used equipment from the Davenport Police Department. The DPD, as part of a union contract, buys new bulletproof vests every 4 or 5 years, and the old ones are put in storage. Canas discovered a large number of these vests – somewhere between 50 and 100, he said – that were perfectly useable.

There were also some slightly used Tasers that could be passed on, as well as some bulletproof vests made to withstand weapons more powerful than handguns.

A lot of red tape had to be unwrapped before any of this equipment could be sent to Alaska; that began to come together in early December 2019. Canas called Wongittlin with the news.

“He’s like, ‘Man, you’re going to send us all that stuff?’ " Canas said. “I go, ‘Yeah, the city’s going to donate it. It’s all good stuff.’ ”

Canas also suggested contacting the author of the original article in which he read about Savoonga PD, about maybe doing a follow-up and to let her know her initial article had a positive impact.

Wongittlin did contact that reporter, and another article was written, complete with quotes from Canas. That was just before Christmas 2019. It The got picked up by Apple News, a national news outlet.

A few days after that, Canas was out on patrol in Davenport when he began receiving messages from a clerk back at the police station. People from all over the country were calling the Davenport Police Department, looking to contribute to the Savoonga police force. He told the clerk to get their name, phone number and what state they were calling from.

“People from all over the country – New York, Florida, Texas, California, Wyoming, Kansas, Missouri – just about every state in the country were calling,” Canas said. “On my lunch hour, I personally called back as many people as I could within that hour, and they were surprised it was me calling. They’re like, ‘You’re the officer calling back?’ I go, ‘Yeah, I want to thank you for showing an interest.’

“This is what we’re doing. This is my goal. The process is just starting, and I’ll let you know where donations can be turned in.”

Canas did not want personal checks being sent to him or the Davenport Police Department, so he arranged for donations to go through his church, Cross Point in Bettendorf. The pastor, Jim Powell, and his wife, Maria, provided a link on the church’s website where people could donate.

About $10,000 was raised in just a few months. Canas bought three sets of new uniforms, handcuffs, custom-made badges, flashlights, boots, hats, gloves and snowpants for the Savoonga Police Department staff. A large shipment went out in June.

Canas also had a connection at Safe Life Defense, a company that builds high-end body armor, and it donated two tactical vests and two tactical belts – items worth about $2,000.

Friends at the Sterling Police Department donated five stun gun cartridges.

There is about $1,000 still in the bank account for this cause, and he still occasionally receives requests from Wongittlin for items the department needs. The latest shipment went out about 3 weeks ago.

“I told him, ‘You should be wearing the same stuff I’m wearing,’ “ Canas said. “You should have the same stuff I have, and I’m going to make that happen.”

Police 1 is a website where police officers can find information on all things police-related, such as new equipment and job openings. The site recently did a series of articles about 50 police officers from all 50 states who went above and beyond the call of duty in some respect, and Canas was Iowa’s honoree.

“It’s an honor for me, but I know, because I worked with them every day, what officers from Iowa do on a daily basis. Sometimes they don’t get the recognition, but we don’t need the recognition. We know what we do. We know where our hearts are. We know our purpose,” he said.

“Even though you feel unappreciated sometimes, and things go up and down as far as that goes, I know there’s a lot of guys out there that have a huge impact on people’s lives. That’s what we sign up for.”

Canas, 49, retired from the Davenport Police Department a month ago, on Dec. 14. He previously was in the Marines for 4 years and a correctional officer in East Moline for 8 years before becoming a police officer in Davenport.

He and his wife of 29 years, Darcy, live in Bettendorf and have two children, Dylan, 21, and Austin, 18.