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Moreover, when progress and superior
achievement in the war on crime are met with retributive
sentiment, the result is a “war on excellence” that is not
only sad and insensitive, but also senseless.
I
had a very candid conversation with former police chief
Derrick Diggs in the final days of his service to the
citizens of Toledo to discuss the past and future of public
safety in Toledo.
Perryman:
The latest crime statistics for January through December 14,
2013 compared to the previous year show tremendous
accomplishment on behalf of your leadership and the police
department.
Diggs:
Yes. Homicides, compared to last year, are down 21 percent,
our shooting incidents are down 11 percent, robberies 16
percent, total violent crime for our Crimestat report shows
a 14 percent decrease. Burglaries are down 21 percent and
auto theft 24 percent. The only place we’ve got an increase
is 16 percent in our theft from autos, but total property
crime is down 13 percent and total violent crime is down 14
percent. So all these together shows that total crimes are
down 14 percent for the year.
But this is the big one,
when we go compare 2013 to 2011 every category except one,
which is shooting incidents, we’re down for a total of
almost 30 percent decrease. So since my time being chief,
we’re almost at a 30 percent decrease in crime.
Perryman:
So why the decision to retire? Let’s talk about the process
of how all this went down.
Diggs:
While I am appointed by the mayor, I am not a political
appointee and could only be removed by just cause and I know
that. Once the election was determined, from what I’m told
[Mayor D. Michael Collins’] plan was to remove me as chief.
But, I had strong support from folks in the community, in
political leadership, the union and in all areas to remain
as chief. I met once with him and we sat down and it was
clear to me based on our conversation that Collins wasn’t
keen on the idea with me remaining.
And so, basically, I left
that meeting telling him, well I’ve got a decision to make.
The patrolmen’s union felt that there could be some positive
resolution and recommended that I sit down with him again.
And, based on their recommendation and because of the fact
that I don’t want to appear that I’m being belligerent or
anything, I let it be known that if he wanted to meet again
we’ll talk with the understanding that we’re not going to go
back and talk about this other stuff. This is going to be
about going forward.
Collins called, I went
over and had a meeting with him and from the very beginning
of that second meeting it went right back to the same old
stuff. And several times I said let’s move forward. And
again it was very clear that he didn’t want me as chief. So
at that point I was done and I told him I would let him know
my decision at some other time. I thought about some
things, went back and forth. I really didn’t want to leave.
But it was clear to me that he did not want me as chief.
I then had a meeting with
the transition team members. They had nothing but great
things to say about the police department, how the police
department was being run and in their opinion they felt that
the police department was the model agency for the city. And
that the police department should be used as an example for
other city agencies and how it’s run so on and so forth,
very positive. That being what it may, also during that
period of time I’m told from numerous sources, politicians,
judges, criminal justice, good old folks in the community,
everybody’s been telling him that I should remain as chief
of police.
So I met with him again
and told him I made my decision. He asked what is it? I said
I’m going to remain chief of police. And the meeting got bad
and basically ended with the fact that he was going to name
his chief on Monday and it wasn’t going to be me. I said,
well okay, I plan on staying and I left.
And then after several
days of thinking about it and getting no sleep, I felt that
this is probably not the best decision for the community and
for the city and for me. And so that was like, I said enough
of this; it’s time to move forward.
My biggest concern was
that we’ve accomplished so much within the last two years, I
cannot let that be jeopardized by moving forward or moving
backwards. So I announced to the troops that I was going to
step down for the best interest of the department, the
community and for myself. I told them it was a tough
decision but the decision that had to be made. It appears
that the only person that doesn’t want me to be chief of
police in northwest Ohio is the guy I’m going to have report
to. And you’ve got to have that relationship. So my feeling
is if I step down and let him appoint somebody who he feels
comfortable with maybe the community could move on, the
police department could move on and public safety could move
on in this community. And that’s basically it.
Perryman:
Collins has appointed another African American to replace
you; albeit I think the word is he’ll only be there a year,
what’s your take on Bill Moton?
Diggs:
Well, what I would tell you and I’m not going to criticize
him, Collins has the right to choose who he wants. The
individual he’s choosing is my commander of my homicide
unit. He’s a good man, as I told people, he’s my guy. I
wish him well.
Perryman:
What do you mean by, “he’s your guy?”
Diggs:
He’s one of my guys. He’s the guy that I put in charge of
several high-profile important cases and developed a task
force and they came to conclusions. So he’s one of my guys.
However, he’s going to have a big learning curve because he
was a lieutenant in charge of a section but as a police
chief you’ve got the whole ball game. So he’s got a lot -- a
lot’s being put on his shoulder.
Perryman:
He’s moving from being over one section to how many sections
or departments?
Diggs:
He’s going to be in charge of the 650 plus police officers
and another 108 civilians.
Perryman:
As a section leader, how many people does he supervise?
Diggs:
Anywhere between 20 and 25. So he’s going to have a big
responsibility, big learning curve and he’s going to have a
lot on his plate.
Perryman:
Has he gone through some of the things you’ve gone through
education-wise, such as FBI training?
Diggs:
I don’t know all the training he’s been through but I highly
doubt anybody on the police department has gone through all
the training I went through. I do know he has a master’s
degree from Bowling Green State University. But there’s
nobody on the police department who has gone through all the
training I’ve been through.
Perryman:
What all have you been through? You’ve got an MPA or Master
of Public Administration?
Diggs:
Yes I got that. I’ve been through the Ohio Chief of Police
Leadership College, I’ve been through the FBI National
Academy, I’ve been through the FBI National Executive
Institute which is geared to the top 40 police chiefs in the
world. I can go on and on and on. I’m probably the most
educated police chief that this department has ever had.
Perryman:
Some are making much of Collins spending a few days at
Harvard with other mayors and a day or so with President
Obama. Your comments on the mayor’s recent education?
Diggs:
I’m not going to comment. I’m willing to leave on high
ground. Do I want to leave? No, I don’t want to leave. This
is my city; I was born and raised here. I went to Lincoln
School. I went to Nathan Hale; I graduated from DeVilbiss
High School as an all-city, championship quarterback and
hall of fame inductee. That sent me to college. I’m the kid
that was born and raised and reared here and had an
opportunity come back here.
But things happen and so
I’m going to leave on high ground because in the end it’s
not about me, it’s about what’s best for the community. And
the thing that I always keep reminding myself is that
Collins was elected by the community, which means that they
believe in whatever his platform is and everything else. And
so if that means that I have to step aside for the best
interest of the community that’s what I have to do. It’s
just one of those things and I’ve always been raised to
believe in that you always take a negative and turn it into
a positive. You take whatever impediments you have and you
find a way to go over them, around them and move on.
So is it tough? Yeah it’s
tough, this is my police department. I’ve transformed this
police department in two years where it’d have taken anybody
else 25 years of all the positive things we’re doing.
And now we are a police
department that’s recognized across the country. We’re
recognized for cutting-edge technology, we have neighborhood
surveillance cameras that we can tie in from private
entities like Moody Manor into our real-time surveillance
center. Our data-driven, intelligence-led policing is the
big focal point that provides information for our officers
to support their operational and administrative functions.
And that’s assisting us in driving down crime. I’ve hired
165 police officers in the two years that I’ve been chief,
more than any other and hasn’t been done in over 30 years.
And so I drove down crime,
enhanced public safety and increased manpower staffing. I
took over with 545, went down to 535 but yet we still
reduced crime in 2012 even with 535 officers. What more do
you want? We totally transformed the police department. And
the number one thing with that entire process, I still was
able to improve police morale to the point where morale in
the department is at an all-time high.
What more you can do? I’m
probably the only big-city police chief that can do all that
and still not be welcome to be the police chief.
Contact Rev. Donald Perryman, D.Min, at
drdlperryman@centerofhopebaptist.org |
