Police officer said he prefers education and warnings before issuing citations

Paul Valencia
ClarkCountyToday.com

Jeffrey Cabanting-Rafael is patrolling the city of Battle Ground in hopes of educating the driving public.

In fact, his initial concern has nothing to do with issuing tickets.

“I prefer education and warnings first,” Cabanting-Rafael said.

Cabanting-Rafael, who has been in law enforcement for seven years, has been with the Battle Ground Police Department for a little more than a year now. He said he loves the community, and appreciates that the community understands that he has a job to do.

Keeping Battle Ground safe is the priority.

When it comes to traffic enforcement, Cabanting-Rafael is proud to be part of the Target Zero campaign.
“I’d rather pull you over, talk, and give you a warning, than go to a car accident,” he said.

This month, Target Zero is stressing the importance of following speed limits as well as an effort to give more guidance to teenage drivers. Target Zero is a statewide campaign with the goal to have zero deaths on all Washington roads by 2030.

For Cabanting-Rafael, it is all about communication. Especially with young drivers. He challenges young drivers to look up travel distance at certain speeds.

“When teenagers get their license for the first time and start driving, it’s a fun thing for them. It’s great, but they don’t have the experience of drivers who have been driving for 20, 30 years,” Cabanting-Rafael said.

The officer asks drivers to go home and research speeds and distance.

“At 70 miles per hour, I’m covering 108 feet per second. On the freeway, if you look at your phone for three seconds, you just covered a football field and some change,” he said. 

He acknowledged that all drivers, at all ages, are guilty of being distracted at times. But he hopes his discussions with drivers will hit home.
“Be safer,” Cabanting-Rafael said. “Make better decisions. We don’t like going to car accidents.”

Excessive speed is a factor in many crashes. If a car pulls out in front of a speeding driver, even if the speeding driver is not at fault, the speeding driver still helped cause the crash, the officer said.

“They might not be gauging your speed. If they think you’re going the speed limit, they think they have time because you’re so far away,” Cabanting-Rafael said. “They don’t realize you’re going 20, 30 over the limit. You know how fast you are going. They don’t. Technically, it’s their fault because they are supposed to yield to you, but you going over the limit exacerbates the situation.”

The education of drivers is a big draw for Cabanting-Rafael for being part of Target Zero.

“It’s a great program. The community outreach is great,” the officer said. 

For the most part, the community is receptive to his approach. Drivers are listening to Cabanting-Rafael’s advice.

“You explain to them why we’re here, the ramifications,” he said. “You can do it 100 times, and 99 times you’re fine. It’s the one time that something bad happens. Why take that chance?”

Cabanting-Rafael started his law enforcement career in his home state of Hawaii. He wanted to see what life was like in the contiguous 48, and a friend who had moved to the Northwest suggested Clark County. Cabanting-Rafael started looking for opportunities, and he found Battle Ground.

“Besides the weather, it reminds me of home,” Cabanting-Rafael said on Monday night, with snow on the ground and an ice storm in the forecast. “The Battle Ground community is great. They are super welcoming.”

Cabanting-Rafael said he wanted to serve and do something bigger than himself. That is what led him to law enforcement. He also recalled some advice he received when he was in college years ago.

“Not everyone has the opportunity to change the world, but you can change someone’s world,” Cabanting-Rafael said. 

He recalled one of his first calls in Hawaii was of a missing child. He was part of the search that resulted in finding that child safe. 

“If you’re willing to go the extra mile for people, they’ll remember you and appreciate you,” he said.