Editor’s Note: This week’s PoliceOne First Person essay is from PoliceOne Member Patrick J. Welsh, who retired in 2012 after a 26-year career with the Dayton (Ohio) Police Department. In PoliceOne “First Person” essays, our Members and Columnists candidly share their own unique view of the world. This is a platform from which individual officers can share their own personal insights on issues confronting cops today, as well as opinions, observations, and advice on living life behind the thin blue line. If you want to share your own perspective with other P1 Members, simply send us an e-mail with your story.
By Pat Welsh
Police1 Member
The Dayton Police Department (Ohio) faced this very dilemma in 2011 when a young African-American male, under arrest and handcuffed behind his back, kicked out a cruiser window and leapt off a bridge to his death. This was the flashpoint for all the pent up anger of the African-American community and the spring board for the release of all the citizen complaints against the department and its officers. In the ensuing months, there was a DOJ investigation launched.
The department — through its executive team — began the process, after the fact, of evaluating the state of Police-Community relations, risk management issues and improving in both areas. Collaboration meetings, with the assistance of the DOJ, were held with a variety of agency personnel and community leaders.
The lessons learned were not that the cops were bad people, but that there was a distinct disconnect between the Department, officers and the black community at large. In so many words, the community expressed their perception of it was an “Us versus Them” relationship.
Community members cited this atmosphere as one of the reasons why witnesses do not come forward, especially in cases of homicides — there was a fundamental distrust of the police. The community perception, their “truth,” was the police hated the black community. The police perception, their “truth,” was that the community did not care about the violence happening in their neighborhoods.
Each side was focused on “blaming” the other side.
Through a series of intense meetings, exercises and training of community leaders and Department staff, both sides began the process of interacting as persons, not objects. The lines of communication were opened to speak freely and candidly, without assessing blame, to discuss and recognize the responsibilities each shares in protecting, serving and leading the community and the department.
One of the most important lessons learned was the recognition that there is no end zone to Police-Community relations and creating a safer community — there is no “we have arrived” moment.
This process is a never-ending journey that will require vigilance, constant commitment, sometimes failure, and always open and non-judgmental communication. The power of positive thinking will not make these things happen. The department leadership and community leaders will have to use critical thinking methods to identify risks within their respective groups and viable strategies to attain the desired results.
Put simply, the current culture of many police departments has resulted in the death of hope, service and leadership within its ranks. Identify the culture within a department and the department can then develop the course of action to redefine itself. It is up to the department’s leaders, by their actions, to inspire others to learn more, do more and become more — both on the department and within the community.
Step up and lead so that others will follow. This is the journey the Dayton Police Department has chosen to embark on. Their journey is teachable to others which are in danger of being DRT and don’t even yet know it.
