Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
COMMUNITY SPEAKS ON RACE, POLICING
Virtual conversation organized by mayor; police chief, DA in attendance
WEST CHESTER » More than two dozen stakeholders met Wednesday during a lively virtual community conversation to discuss race and police.
The meeting was organized by Mayor Dianne Herrin, with Police Chief Jim Morehead and District Attorney Deb Ryan attending.
Issues including the use of force, body cameras, possibly more funding for social work, training and hiring a more diverse police force were discussed.
Resident Penny Washington asked why residents are not seeing more black and brown officers.
Herrin noted that the force recently hired three women. She also said that hiring is accomplished through the Civil Service Commission, which is a weighted process.
Morehead said that a lack of training will not remove a candidate out of the running for a job since the borough is willing to pick up the tab for training, which he said runs about $8,000.
“It’s always about having the best people,” the chief said. “We don’t knock somebody out the process because of cost.”
Morehead also said that borough police are reaching out at job fairs.
“Everyone in the region is struggling to diversify the force,” Morehead said. “It’s a work in progress.”
Lt. Josh Lee also took part in a discussion concerning use of force. He said that choke holds are prohibited unless deadly force is warranted to protect life.
“We train constantly and only use lethal force when lethal force is justified,” Lee said. “It’s strict training and very good training.”
Morehead talked about a specific example.
“If we see an officer who uses pepper spray, uses pepper spray
and then uses pepper spray … maybe that officer needs training on the use of pepper spray in the future — we make sure it is appropriate.”
Resident Jane Clark said it is important how police project
themselves. She noted that several officers do not wear masks during the ongoing pandemic, which shows defiance and that they give the impression that they do not have to follow rules.
“This has been addressed and police officers have been instructed to wear masks,” Herrin said.
“If you are expecting a
problem, a problem is going to happen,” Clark said. “If you are expecting peace, peace is going to happen.”
Resident Gretchen Cole said she is “always afraid” when dealing with someone in uniform and carrying a gun.
“Are we over-relying on police?” Cole asked.
Herrin said that police
have much to deal with, including the homeless, addiction and mental illness.
“They see it all,” said the mayor. “They are saddled with more and more responsibilities as funding for social services declines.
“This is something we should definitely be talking about.”
Morehead talked about the social work side of the job.
“We do have to wear multiple hats,” the chief said.
“We are all swimming in a pond of racism,” resident Kathleen Metzker said. “Race is not the problem, racism is the problem.”
Resident Loretta Cohen said that conversations
among police behind closed doors should be a place to “call your friends out.”
All officers now wear body cameras. Body cameras should be turned on during all enforcement actions, according to Lee.
“Anyone who wears a uniform and walks the street has to wear a body camera,” Morehead said.
DA Ryan said that an officer’s background must be reviewed since an officer’s bias could become relevant in court.
“We review an officer’s background to see if we’re comfortable to put them on the stand.”
A Chester County 15-member task force addressing
race and justice has recently been established to identify and affect change.
“We intend to engage in community outreach as long as I’m here in this office,” Ryan said.
Herrin said that communication is key and Lee agreed.
“We need to communicate better on the street,” Lee said. “We recognize that maybe we have to do a better job at that.”
Herrin summed up the purpose of the discussion.
“We need to determine what else we can do and what we should do,” she said. “We have an excellent police force and there is always room for improvement.”