-
As Pastor Pat Hunt said during our online forum on police and community relations on June 17, “We are dealing with two pandemics – COVID-19 and racism.”
COVID-19 we confront by maintaining social distancing, wearing masks and being respectful of the health of others.
Battling racism means being respectful, too.
The unsettling death of a black man, George Floyd, when a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes has triggered a worldwide reaction to systemic racism. His death was added to a long list of blacks and other minorities who have suffered serious injuries and death at the hands of police and racists. Here in Berea we hosted the online forum to help heal those wounds and increase understanding. We plan to continue that conversation.
A main concern is the use by some police officers of choke holds and other methods to restrict airway passages.
Police Chief Dan Clark and I want to assure Berea residents that the Berea Police Department does not use choke holds or knee holds. Berea Police are trained to use M.A.C.H. (Mechanical Advantage Control Holds) if it is necessary to control an unruly subject. M.A.C.H. uses body positioning, movement, momentum and transitions. It uses the subject’s resistance against themselves. There is no hitting or punching involved. The method is safer for officers and for those resisting arrest.
When Chief Clark was named to head the department last year, he worked to gain certification from the Ohio Collaborative – a state task force on best practices for police departments. The standards deal with use of force, bias free policing, body cameras and investigation of misconduct by officers. The City has met those requirements and now has a provisional certificate. The official certificate will be issued once a site visit, delayed because of COVID-19, is completed.
City Council in June passed a resolution supporting the Berea Police Department’s efforts to promote accountability, diversity and community engagement.
The Chief issued a very eloquent statement, which is posted on the city web site and Facebook page. It says in part, “The Berea Police Department has worked very hard to build bridges within our great community. The Police Department has an extensive use of force policy that officers are expected to adhere to. I understand that whenever and wherever a tragedy of this degree happens in our nation, it has the potential to impact the relationships and trust that we all have worked so hard to build. The Berea Police Department will continue to serve our community in a professional and transparent fashion.”
My administration will work with all segments of our community to make sure we are all treated fairly and impartially. We may have different skin colors, religions and genders but we are all human beings with the same rights and expectations of fair play. Respect. We all deserve respect.
