Starting the dialogue on what comes next

After the protests, the confrontations, the tear gas and fires; after the horror of watching George Floyd gasp for breath with a police officer’s knee on his neck; after the cries and calls to recognize Black victims hurt or killed at the hands of police

The answers are being written in the towns and rural townships of our region with conversation about policies, procedures and relationships.

Police departments are examining their policies regarding restraints during arrest, putting in writing that chokeholds are forbidden. Towns are looking at purchasing body cameras; police chiefs and borough managers are analyzing hiring practices, and police leaders are reaching out individually to Black community leaders for dialogue and a better understanding of the underserved and of citizens of color.

One of the most organized attempts at better understanding has been put together by the YWCA Tri-County Area. Based in Pottstown, the regional YWCA conducts programs in parts of Berks, Chester and Montgomery counties to promote diversity and end racism in schools and communities throughout the region.

In the wake of the Floyd killing in Minneapolis and the protests for racial justice that brought thousands of people to the streets in nearly every town of the tri-county area, the YWCA led by Executive Director Stacey Woodland put together a six-part online summer advocacy series titled “Racism, Trauma, & What’s Next?”

First in the series was a discussion with police, how they view their role and what George Floyd’s murder has changed. YWCA directors from Pottstown, Bucks County, Harrisburg and Pittsburgh gathered electronically to put questions to four law enforcement officers: Pottstown Police Chief Michael Markovich, and State Troopers William Butler, Ismail ElGuemra and Kelly Smith.

El-Guemra is a liaison trooper who worked part-time in the Heritage Affairs Section within the state police’s Equality and Inclusion Office. The section is charged with “preventing, monitoring, responding to, and investigating occurrences of hate crimes in Pennsylvania.”

In the wake of the Floyd killing, two more officers were added to the section — going from two part-time to four full-time officers who work on these issues.

Police departments are recognizing the need to aggressively recruit minorities, a challenge particularly now when fewer people want to become police, both Markovich and El-Guemra said.

In Lansdale, for example, police Chief Mike Trail has recommended changing the town’s civil service requirements to potentially recruit more people and “make our department look more like the community we serve.”

Trail has said that he meets with NAACP leaders to keep dialogue open about race relations and policing.

Police are also examining hiring practices to improve vetting for officers with racial or sexist bias. El-Guemra said before hiring a trooper, the state police do extensive psychological screening for bias of any kind, as well as checking any tattoos an applicant has to “see if they are associated with any known hate groups.”

The use of force, particularly chokeholds, has come up in discussion in departments throughout the region. While most area police chiefs say their officers would not resort to those types of restraint, they are nonetheless writing bans on chokeholds into policy to ensure transparency and discipline officers if necessary.

Body cameras, which can be expensive, are being explored in many towns, again to ensure transparency and keep officers honest.

What’s needed next? The answers to that question posed in the YWCA forum by Angela Reynolds, CEO of the Greater Pittsburgh YWCA reflect the conversations in towns of our region. What we need is “more listening, more conversation, more inclusion,” panelists said.

Ask the difficult questions. Rewrite policies to reflect change.

Listen. Understand. Include and engage. That’s the message not only for police and local leaders on this weekend that the nation celebrates freedom, but for all who seek equality in life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.