What can Onondaga County and other police agencies learn from the events in Ferguson, Missouri? Saint Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar talked to law enforcement officials today about the lessons from the Ferguson riots and how police leaders can prepare for similar events in their communities. He says simply engaging with people can improve the atmosphere of a community.
“I talk to my young police officers coming off of probation. ‘Hey boss, how do you define community engagement?’ It’s the golden rule, man. Treat people like you would like be treated. Be kind. Be empathetic, but just day to day, ‘Hey, man. I care about you. I’m sorry this happened to you.’ That’s really where we need to be.”
Syracuse Police ran into the line of fire on Father’s Day of last year in a chaotic incident that resulted in a shooting. One person was killed. Belmar recounts other incidents in Baltimore, Los Angeles and elsewhere, in which tensions with police ran high.
“But man, I’m telling you what: stuff like this, civil unrest of that nature, can rip communities apart. And I don’t think we can afford to let that happen and when I say that, ‘we,’ is collective.”
He says officers should be given clear instructions on their demeanor during protests, as well as how to deal with situations of unrest. He says community support of the police is crucial in order to have officers effectively do their job.
“I do think all of us need to guard against the fact that if we do not support American law enforcement then we will get to the point where police officers will decide it is easier not to be proactive than to be, and I think when that happens we will be poorer because of it.”
Belmar believes police need to be met halfway by community groups and residents. He also says proper staffing is needed to let police officers spend time on beats meeting people, so they have useful relationships should civil unrest arise. Onondaga County’s and other local law enforcement agencies say they are willing to better train their officers to effectively respond to crisis situations. About 200 people attended today from more than a dozen police agencies.