ROCKLAND — Every shift is unpredictable for police officers. They have been known to say that they just do not know what they will encounter when they go to work.

This has been the experience the past week with Rockland Police Officer Addison Cox. He had adventures with a few wild animals and his colleagues have been having a good time with chronicling his escapades on the department’s Facebook page.

Cox even has a new nickname, the “Racoon Whisperer”, after his first encounter with the critter on June 23.

The Facebook post describes a story of how the department received a call from a Rockland resident who was concerned about a baby raccoon in a yard. Since police were concerned about rabies, they dispatched Cox who was on duty that evening to the scene.  

Cox, described as an “avid outdoorsman” on the Facebook page, was “able to access that this little fella showed no signs of the disease and appeared to be looking for his mother.”

The officer who was wearing “bite-resistant gloves” apprehended the raccoon by the scruff and moved him to the tree line where he “scampered off from homes and people.”

But, another challenge was soon on the horizon for the Racoon Whisperer.

On June 29, the next animal related call to Rockland Police was about a skunk wandering around the parking lot of an apartment complex with a jar of peanut butter stuck on its head.

“We can’t make this stuff up,” police said.

This episode also ended well for both parties.

“Apparently Mr. Raccoon had told Mr. Skunk about what a nice guy Addison is. He was able to pull the peanut butter jar off of the skunk’s head and “he scampered away without unleashing a drop of spray.”

So, what’s next?

“We’re a little on pins and needles, waiting for Addison’s next animal adventure,” police said.

Stay tuned.

Reach Sarah Shepherd at news@penbaypilot.com