Officers and the community they serve grappled with such questions during a community conversation that explored the effect of mass media and social media on views about police.
Bloomington Police Department Chief Mike Diekhoff, Monroe County Sheriff Brad Swain, Indiana University Police Department Chief Laury Flint and Indiana State Police Capt. Ruben Marte represented their departments at Thursday evening’s City Hall event, hosted by Bloomington’s Safe and Civil City Program and moderated by Akwasi O. Bempah, an associate professor of criminal justice at Indiana University.
As videos showing officers acting inappropriately with the public continue to surface across the country, what do officers need to understand about citizens to better serve them? one woman asked.
Officers need to understand that fear and mistrust of police are real, Marte said.
Marte recalled a recent encounter between a white trooper and a black motorist who was pulled over for speeding. The driver was nervous about being stopped. Through calm conversation that displayed mutual respect, the trooper downgraded the ticket to a warning.
The story went viral on social media and hit mainstream media, but it didn’t receive the full attention the encounter deserved, Marte recalled. He reached out to both the white trooper and the black driver. Both talked about giving respect and getting it in return.
“Truly, there is a history there that cannot be ignored,” Marte said of the ripple effect caused by the negative, or illegal, actions of police officers. Officers need to do a better job of highlighting the good they do, he said. They need to build a sustainable bridge of trust.
“You can be doing all of these really positive things, and something happens and there’s a video of a police officer doing something stupid. It just erodes what’s been done,” Diekhoff said.
One woman asked how police use national breaking news, such as school shootings, within their own departments.
“We incorporate a lot of current events in our training,” Diekhoff said, explaining that a shift’s 30-minute roll call allows for time to watch news clips and have discussion.
IU police and emergency management have plans for situations such as active shooters, Flint said.
One man asked if police ever talk about how they are doing emotionally, given the stress and scrutiny of the profession. Often, the media present a narrative that pits the public against the police.
Other members of the public asked about psychological testing for officers and the protection of whistleblowers.
New research is emerging about police and wellness, and Bloomington police may start to explore wellness programs.
Sheriff Swain said deputies are referred to counseling services and stress debriefings, especially after dealing with child abuse or death cases. He feels a deputy’s mental health should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, rather than mandate psychological testing every few years, which might cause distrust.
IU police cadets now must pass a psychological exam before they move on to the police academy. And the Indiana State Police has a peer-to-peer reporting system established that encourages accountability.
The panelists also discussed updates and advances in their departments, based on feedback and suggestions from the first community conversation in January. That conversation addressed race relations between the public and police in light of social unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, following the shooting death of a black man by a white officer.
Monroe County Jail inmates now have access to ministry from the Second Baptist Church. And the sheriff’s department sponsored several children for an Indiana Sheriff’s Association summer camp.
Indiana State Police and IU police are offering more multidiversity training, for officers, cadets and the public.
The city’s force has spent much of the year focused on community outreach, including youth academies and camps, the “coffee with a cop” program, diversity recruitment, implicit-bias training, a National Night Out open house and outreach programs for college students.
A neighborhood resource officer program is also in its infancy stage, Diekhoff said.
Financing has been secured to fit each Bloomington police officer with a body camera. Monroe County deputies will start wearing them soon, too.
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