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Freddie Gray’s funeral and
ensuing massive protests in Baltimore this past Monday
highlight black frustrations near the boiling point in
nearly every city in America. Toledo is no exception. My
prayers go out to the Gray family, the Scott family in North
Charleston, South Carolina, the Pope family in Toledo, and
the families of black men and women who are dying in
epidemic numbers across the country as a result of
encounters with police.
It is time for a
multi-pronged strategy that halts the killing of black
citizens by police, including working together with law
enforcement and local government to shape the criminal
justice system in a manner that fosters accountability and
trust as well as delivers justice to all of its citizens.
I brought my concern that,
statistically, unarmed black men, women and children were
being killed by law enforcement at extraordinary rates
compared to others, to Sheriff John Tharp in August 2014. We
discussed potential local policy changes to improve
relations between law enforcement and the community.
My recommendation was that
body cameras be mandated for all patrol deputies, according
to best practices and standard operations. It was an
opportunity for Tharp to be simultaneously proactive and
progressive in a town that has been politically sluggish in
addressing the needs of its citizens of color. The Sheriff
promised that he would implement my recommendation.
Currently, the Lucas County
Sheriff’s department patrols eight housing sites operated by
LMHA within the city of Toledo along with Monclova,
Jerusalem, Springfield, and Providence townships. The 33
officers that patrol the Toledo sites include seven black
males and three black females, and are under the command of
Captain Thomas Walker, an African American.
On April 21, 2015, Sheriff
Tharp fulfilled his promise when he and the Lucas County
Commissioners became the first in Toledo to pull the trigger
on what is expected to become the “new normal” for 21st
century policing by announcing receipt of 17 new body
cameras and a policy for their usage.
How does this affect the
community?
For certain, the technology
will provide increased transparency and accountability. Both
citizens and sheriff’s deputies are likely to be on their
best behavior, knowing that they are on camera. Elsewhere,
the implementation of body cameras has resulted in a
reduction of abuse and excessive force. The prospect of
losing a pension due to the “objective testimony” of
technology is a risk that even many of the most sadistic law
enforcement officers are not willing to take and thus acts
as a strong deterrent. The objectivity of the cameras will
also provide evidentiary benefits to both officers and
citizens whenever they encounter one another.
However, the body cameras are
not a panacea for rebuilding the hope that justice will be
served for all members of our society.
Lucas County Sheriff
Department personnel will still be in full control of the
recordings. Things can get dicey if a deputy shuts off the
body camera prior to a citizen encounter, claim equipment
failure, or fail to record an incident properly. Currently,
the cameras buffer (record but not save) for the first 30
seconds after it is activated upon contact with citizens.
Recordings will be
stored at evidence.com, which could become an expensive
budget line item. The footage, according to Tharp, will be
available via public records request if not a part of an
ongoing investigation and will be kept for only 30 days
after a criminal case concludes, or for six months
otherwise.
Yet, both Eric Garner’s
strangulation in New York and John Crawford’s shooting death
in Beavercreek, Ohio were captured on video with no
resulting indictment in either case.
Just as important as the
cameras, then, is a competent, diverse, transparent and
accessible staff that is committed to authentic engagement
with the citizens of our community. We have that in John
Tharp and the Lucas County Sheriff’s Department, who are
trained to approach residents to “get to know and help them
solve problems, rather than merely responding to a situation
in order to make an arrest.”
The implementation of the
body cameras, along with this progressive community
approach, whereby deputies are “trained to handle people and
to deal with diverse cultures,” are what sets the Lucas
County Sheriff’s Department apart from its law enforcement
peers in Toledo.
Contact Rev. Donald Perryman, D.Min, at
drdlperryman@centerofhopebaptist.org |
