SIDNEY — The relationships between law enforcement and the communities they serve is an ongoing process to keep the lines of communication open.
Sidney Police Chief Will Balling and Ohio Highway Patrol Piqua Post Commander Lt. Joseph Gebhart spend their lunch hour Wednesday opening up some of those lines during a Coffee (or Lunch) With a Cop hosted by the Sidney First Presbyterian Church.
The riots in Baltimore, Maryland, and Ferguson, Missouri, have brought a nation full circle from the riots in the 1960s and 1970s, said Gebhart.
“We want to have open dialogues between law enforcement and their communities,” said Gebhart. “There is a feeling of mistrust in those communities (Baltimore and Ferguson). There’s been a breakdown in communications.”
“Society has also changed,” said Balling. “The older generation wants to get out and talk with their neighbors. Today’s younger generation wants to get the job done and get out. They don’t take the time to get to know their neighbors.
“We are doing more with less (people) in our department,” Balling continued. “We know we have to get out there and meet the community. In Ferguson, I wonder what the community was like before (the shooting).”
Local recruitment of officers, said Balling, has seen local residents hired for the department and others from outside the community.
“We have several — eight or nine officers — from Sidney,” said Balling. “In today’s market we get officers from everywhere. It takes a couple of years for the transplant to take pride in the community.”
Balling said he is required to follow civil service requirements when hiring officers for the department.,
“One hundred thirty-six applied at the last test,” said Balling. “Of those, 110 passed the test. They are required to pass a physical fitness test and that took our number down to 60, with a lot of them from outside Sidney.
“We can only hire from the top 10,” he continued. “If you’re not in the top 10, then we can’t hire you because of the civil service test.”
Balling, who responded to a question about officers being role models in the community, said he feels the department can develop a pool of candidates from the Sidney area. In order to do this, he and his officers need to connect with the youth and tell them about their job as a police officer.
“Then we can help them do a directional map to get here,” said Balling. “I think it’s (police officer) a great job. I still think that today.”
The Sidney Police Department, said Balling, has 93 percent white officers. There is one female officer on staff.
“We want to hire the best people we can for the job,” said Balling. “The most under-served population in law enforcement is female. We only have one in our department. They have the same skills everyone else has. I wish I had a few more on staff for different situations that come up.”
Gebhart said when he was assigned to the Xenia Post, there were five female troopers on staff. Currently at Piqua, there are “two black troopers” said Gebhart.
“With the Patrol, they do a statewide requirement and look for the best candidates,” said Gebhart. The troopers are then stationed about the state and move from post to post throughout their careers.
Balling said his department receives phone calls from parents who want an officer to arrest their young children because they aren’t listening to the parent. Unfortunately, those actions of the parents, he said, cause a learned behavior which makes the child afraid of an officer.
Sarah Steenrod, who helped organize the event, asked what the community can do to better the relationship in the city.
“The Turkey Trot is good,” said Balling. “And meetings like this. We did National Night Out this year for the first time. We need to promote it better next year.
“Also, if a non-profit is doing an event, call us and let us know and we’ll do a walk through,” he continued. “We want to continue to improve building our relationships. The fire department comes in and saves the day. The police officer is the person who writes the parking tickets.”
Balling said in conjunction with Crimestoppers, the department can recognize people who have gone out of their way to help an officer.
“We can recognize people who give us tips,” said Balling. “I try to send them something back and I’ll include a challenge coin.”
Balling said they are also posting “good deeds” on the city of Sidney’s Facebook page.
Gebhart told the group his troopers don;t enjoy giving out traffic tickets. He calls his job “a blessing and a curse.”
“I remember every notification I’ve done,” said Gebhart. “We have a job to do and we do a professional investigation. We are trying to affect the behaviors of the drivers on the roads.
“The worst thing I do is to go up to a door to tell a loved one someone died in an accident,” he said. “Forty percent of all fatal crashes have alcohol involved.”
In 2014, 870 people in Ohio lost their lives in crashes on the state’s roads. That was down from the average of 1,000 per year.
Each Post, he said, has to have a goal projection for the year with accidents and fatal crashes. His goal for the Post is eight.
“In November 2014, there were six fatal accidents in Shelby County,” said Gebhart. “I can tell you there are going to be a lot of troopers during the months of November and December in Shelby County. It’s going to be my focus.”
Gebhart said the increase of the speed limit on the interstate to 70 mph has also affected the speeds on the back roads.
“We’re seeing 70 to 80 mph on the back roads,” he said. And that’s something he wants to see stopped.
In the winter, because of all the flat land, Interstate 75 becomes treacherous because of the blowing and drifting snow and icing on the roads.
“The trucks are going 70 mph because they are big,” said Gebhart. “There have been times when I’m trying to stay upright to get to a vehicle and the truck comes flying by me.”
Balling said there are a lot more distracted drivers on the roads today.
“People are talking on phones or putting on makeup,” said Balling. “I’ve even seen a woman breastfeeding her child while she was driving.”
Talking on a cell phone, said Gebhart, is a secondary offense, which means a driver can only be stopped if they are violating another law.
The changing technology is a challenge for the departments, said Balling. Body cameras are something his officers may have by September 2016.
“I think it’s a great idea to have them,” said Balling. “The officers want them so they record things to protect themselves.
“I tell them to act like their mom is watching them. Act like their grandma is watching them. Act like God is watching them,” said Balling.
Balling said he is still investigating how information from the body cameras will be stored. It will cost approximately $50,000 to have body cameras for each officer. A five-member research team is exploring all aspects of having body cameras in the department.
“The cameras are $450 to $100 each,” said Balling. “The storage for the video, that’s where the big money comes in.
“It’s also an administrative problem which deals with the retention policy,” he said.
Because anything film is public record, anyone could come into the department and request of a copy of the video, Balling said.
“The technology hasn’t caught up to the public records laws,” said Balling. “I can tell you we are going to have body cameras in the future.”
Gebhart said there’s a lot of new technology in the field.
“You have to be careful and get a quality product,” said Gebhart. “We’ve had video cameras (in the cruisers) since 1993. We’re looking a body cameras for the troopers.”
“I’m impressed with our car cameras,” said Balling. “We still have to learn how to manage the storage of everything.”
A question was asked about how a license can be taken away from a person who shouldn’t be driving any longer.
Gebhart said the Department of Motor Vehicles has a form that can be filled out asking the person to come in for retesting. The issue can also be reported to law enforcement.
“We like the family to take the lead in it,” said Gebhart. “This is a big issue and the person needs to be treated with respect.”
Future events may be planned in the evening or on a Saturday, said Steenrod.
“I think we have a good relationship with the community,” said Balling before the meeting started. “We don’t want to take it for granted.”
The event was organized by Steenrod, a member of Sidney First Presbyterian Church. The church wanted to get more involved with events and programs in the community and saw this as one way to accomplish their mission.
