It’s a dog’s life

Some days, Guy Gibson lives the life of a dog — McGruff the Crime Dog, that is.

An operator maintenance man at PPL Montana’s Hauser Dam near Helena, Gibson volunteers with the Helena Police Department as the famous pseudo-canine that promises to “Take a Bite Out of Crime.”

“It’s a lot of fun,” Gibson says of the volunteer job that takes him into Helena’s schools and malls to talk to children about safety. “Little kids will tell you the dangdest things.”

McGruff is the loveable dog-in-a-trench-coat mascot of the National Crime Prevention Council. Since 1980, McGruff has helped law enforcement and criminal justice agencies and state crime prevention associations teach ways to prevent crime.

“Since McGruff can’t talk, rather than dress up as the character and have to keep quiet, I use a large McGruff puppet for the presentations,” said Gibson, who tailors his programs to his audience’s needs.

As well as helping kids learn how to prevent crime and stay safe, Gibson volunteers his time organizing “Neighborhood Watch” groups that look out for criminal and suspicious behavior and report it to local authorities as a way to help prevent crime and promote cooperation among residents and police.
He also helps to establish McGruff Houses, which provide a temporary haven for children who find themselves in frightening or dangerous situations. Children are told that they can go to a specially marked McGruff House any time they sense danger as they go to and from school or are playing in the neighborhood.

Gibson spends an average of 10 hours a month volunteering. In addition to his volunteer work, he’s a community relations officer with the Helena Police Department. As a sworn member of the police force, he has all the powers of a regular police officer and often serves as a backup officer when extra police are needed.

His most memorable experience was serving on the security detail when former President George H.W. Bush visited Billings while in office. Gibson had the opportunity to meet and shake hands with the president. Gibson says his law enforcement involvement began when he enlisted in the Army and served in the Military Police.

“After I got out, I stayed in police work as a member of the Sheriff’s Reserves in Billings while I was working at the Corette plant,” Gibson said. “Now I stick to volunteering and occasionally working a security detail for the Helena police. I like to give back to the community.”