Columbus residents have to help the police keep the city safe, newly-hired police consultant K.B. Turner said at a public safety meeting Monday night.
“Citizens — you — are the first line of defense … when it comes to protecting the community,” Turner said. “Not the police. You are.”
Monday’s meeting at Townsend Community Center in south Columbus was the first of six planned public meetings — one for each city ward — Turner will hold this month as part of his evaluation of the Columbus Police Department. The city council last month hired Turner, chairman of the University of Memphis Criminology and Criminal Justice Department, and agreed to pay his firm $19,000 for a six-month contract.
Since his hiring, Turner has emphasized the importance of community engagement with the police — part of the reason he is holding these meetings is to get input from citizens, he said. But he also took the opportunity to tell the public ways they could tailor their behavior to help CPD officers and keep the community safer.
Turner emphasized the importance of neighborhood watches, holding National Night Out and similar events and finding ways to volunteer for the CPD. He even suggested forming a civilian report writing unit — a trained group of volunteers who could take reports at the police department so officers on patrol don’t have to leave their beats to do it.
It’s an idea he has already discussed with Police Chief Oscar Lewis.
“We’re just trying to get the legal advice on how we can proceed,” Lewis told The Dispatch after the meeting. “That’s (a) good (idea). I like that one.”
Ward 1 Councilman Gene Taylor also liked the idea and said there is probably someone already at the CPD who could take care of training the civilians so that the cost to the city would be minimal.
“I think that’s an excellent idea,” he said. “They will be well-trained in that field to do so, so it could take a load off the police officers.”
But Turner didn’t stop there. He stressed the importance of citizens staying calm during interactions with officers and being accountable. He also encouraged citizens to report trouble spots and suspicious activity in their neighborhoods, as well as other issues they have.
“Put that call in,” Turner said. “Give them an address. Let them know what’s happening.”
Foot patrols
Turner’s stress on community engagement was only part of the meeting, which Turner initially called because he said he wanted to get feedback from residents on public safety issues and the CPD in general. He called for questions, and after a few moments people began to raise their hands and offer suggestions or the occasional complaint. Suggestions for police ranged from working more closely with local schools to officers getting out of their cars and talking with people on porches or in businesses when they’re on patrol.
“I think it’s been six months since I’ve seen (an officer) out of a car,” resident Annie Barry said.
She said she understands there’s currently a shortage of officers, but that it would be nice if community members and police officers would stop and talk with people so that they know the residents and vice-versa.
Turner said that was probably a something the CPD could start right now — “shortage or no shortage, staffing or understaffing.”
The idea was something Columbus Mayor Robert Smith latched onto after the meeting.
“I’ve been hearing this quite a bit,” Smith said. “This is something I said to the former chief, is that the community … just want to see (police) are more visible, and they want to see foot patrol.
“Getting out of those cars and becoming acquainted with the people in the community … that’s when you build that trust,” he added.
Public officials present reported they were pleased with Monday’s meeting.
“I thought the meeting went well,” Smith said. “…I thought Dr. Turner made it real simple as for the purpose of the meeting, and he’s talked about efficiency, effectiveness and being responsible.”
Lewis, too, said he was encouraged with the ideas both Turner and citizens presented.
At the end of the meeting, Turner had residents fill out a public safety questionnaire, which asked about everything from lighting on city blocks after dark to the professionalism of police officers and whether residents know their neighbors. The answers are anonymous and confidential, said Turner, who plans to run an analysis on all the questionnaires he receives at each meeting. He assured attendees neither city officials nor CPD officers will see their answers.
“I think the meeting was spirited,” he said after the meeting. “It was lively. … (Citizens) have the right to ask questions and (they’ve) heard some things about what’s happening at the CPD. They should ask questions and that’s what this meeting’s all about. It’s an opportunity for them to come and engage one another, to engage me, to engage city officials, and I think in light of that, it went well.”
Other scheduled public safety meetings include:
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