by Tony Ganzer, ideastream
Today we continue our occasional series : a conversation about community policing in Cleveland. We鈥檝e been gathering diverse perspectives on what community policing should look like, and how far are we from that ideal. And today, we gain another law enforcement perspective.
JOHNSON: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think we鈥檙e too far away from it. I think the ideal鈥攂ecause most officers already they do do it.鈥�
Cleveland Police Commander Ellis Johnson Jr. heads the division鈥檚 community policing bureau.
JOHNSON: 鈥淲e started a program where we have kits, and what we do is we put coloring books, crayons, pamphlets, fliers, little plastic badges, and zone cars have it, and when they go out and about they stop and you know see a kid, 鈥榟ey, how you doing, da da da,鈥� they start that contact, they start that interaction. And that impact not only for the youth, but for the parent of that youth seeing that interaction between officers which is not a 鈥榳ell get off the corner鈥� or 鈥榗ome here...鈥� it鈥檚 a simple human communication.鈥�
Johnson is an African-American police commander in a division of police that has a strained relationship with some poor and minority communities. His office is layered in paperwork, recruiting posters, and on the walls posters saying 鈥楥ops for Kids.鈥� Community policing for Johnson centers heavily on the interactions between police and the public.
Previously ideastream's Tony Ganzer interviewed Cleveland writer RA Washington, and here鈥檚 an edited clip from that interview:
Ganzer asked Commander Johnson to reply to these thoughts:
JOHNSON: 鈥淭hat鈥檚 part of a mindset, I鈥檓 saying, that has to change on both parts. Again that goes back to the percentage of what you鈥檙e looking at, and those interactions that you鈥檙e looking at with the 鈥榩olice doing the bopping.鈥� Okay, in close to that million contacts that we have, how many incidents is that? On the whole, police officers are doing what they鈥檙e supposed to be doing, and they鈥檙e doing it well. And we do have those bad elements that do occur, and need to be eliminated from the division. Because what you鈥檙e saying is 鈥榯hey don鈥檛 deserve a pass, or they need to earn a pass,鈥� how about those officers who鈥檝e been on the job for the past 30+ years like myself who hasn鈥檛 had those incidents? And the majority of us have never had those incidents. The majority of us have never had to shoot anybody. But it鈥檚 that broad brush that鈥檚 coloring all police officers as opposed to those few who have violated either rules or the law in saying that, well guess what that鈥檚 all of us. So I can't prove anything to you, unless you're open to it.鈥�
Johnson says people who are vocal against the police are heard more than people supporting police, when incidents of people getting hurt or shot in involvements with the police are a small percentage of overall interactions. He says there are bad cookies in the force that need to be rooted out, and recruitment and training need to help equip the department to find a new way.
He says officers can police very well, but there needs to be more focus on customer service.
JOHNSON: 鈥淐ustomer service is, when I get out I am truly totally professional, but I am courteous in my profession. It鈥檚 not the idea that, yes I know how to write a ticket, that鈥檚 part of policing. I know how to make an arrest, that鈥檚 part of policing. I know how to use what鈥檚 on my belt, from Taser, to my firearm, I know how to do that. It鈥檚 the treatment that we have with the people.鈥�
Commander Ellis Johnson Jr. heads the bureau of community policing for the Cleveland Division of Police.
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