First Posted: 2/12/2015
The hard part before was finding the money to bring Community-Oriented Policing back to Lima.
The hard part now is implementing it in a way to meet the high expectations of a city with warm memories of the program, and making sure the program now has a long future.
Lima Council approved $220,000 to hire three new police officers during Monday’s meeting. Those new officers will replace experienced existing officers, who will then move into the new community policing positions. The funding also includes a new sergeant to oversee the operation.
The community policing program will see police substations opened in neighborhoods troubled by crime, and officers walking the streets, talking with residents, and reacting to their concerns.
TIMING AND FUNDING ALLIES
Now that it has been given the green light, some people may be surprised that Lima Police Chief Kevin Martin is saying it may take six to eight months to implement the program. However, it is essential that officers are properly trained. This was a point made by Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine during a recent conversation with The Lima News, and also by David Kennedy, director of The Center for Crime Prevention and Control at the prestigious John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. Kennedy noted officers must demonstrate a willingness to directly engage the people they serve.
While the city has secured the money to get the program started — it is dipping into its end of the year rainy day fund — securing money for the long term remains an issue. One possibility could be funding from the state. During the Ohio Associated Press 2015 Legislative Preview Session held two weeks ago, House Minority Leader Fred Strahorn spoke at length about the benefits of community policing. Mike Rowe, the communication director of the Ohio Senate Democratic Caucus, also told The Lima News that a bill is currently being drafted that could make funds available. On the Republican side, Senate President Keith Faber said the door would be open for discussion.
PINPOINT POLICING REMAINS
Last week’s decision to bring back community policing was welcome news for Lima. Also welcome, though not as popular, was the Lima police chief’s remarks that he had no plans to step away from “pinpoint policing.” It has been at the heart of the outcry from some members in Lima’s south-side neighborhoods, who feel as though they’re being harassed or even racially profiled over relatively minor issues.
We hope the new Community-Oriented Policing officers are well-trained in helping people understand they’re not being bothered so much as protected during these stops. We hope they do a better job explaining some of their recruiting efforts, too, such as a program kicked off last week in the Lima schools to grow interest in law-enforcement jobs.
HIGH EXPECTATIONS
We have high expectations for these programs. Every resident and every visitor to Lima deserves to feel protected, not antagonized, by a police officer. Still, we know this is a city with a disproportionately high rate of crime, particularly involving drugs. We appreciate the LPD’s efforts to bring us line with not just similarly sized cities in Ohio but the supposedly more peaceful cities and villages nearby.
It will take time for all of these programs to sprout, though. Residents must be careful not to judge them too quickly. We wish the Lima Police Department luck in making this work.
