Your Input Requested

[bobbbiez]

Starting next week for two days a week for the month Of June, Father Joe Salerno and I, will be holding a class/seminar at the Police Academy at MVCC for police officers due to the low morale in the department. I would like your input to make my part of the seminar informative concerning the public's point of view.

First, I would like your input on how you feel officers can deal with the public better to created a better relationship between the two.

Second, I would like your input on what the public can do to show more support and appreciation to officers doing a good job.

Third, I would like to hear what would you say to an officer to show him you appreciate his service in protecting the public.

I will be using your comments in my part of the seminar so please keep your input as brief as possible to make it easier on me to outline my presentation.

Thanks everyone!

[JGRobinson]

Sounds pretty cool BZ, I think you have some challenges in this one because truly, I do believe most of us respect what those who wear the badge and the blue do every day to try to keep the peace in our communities. Those who dont are likely the ones were trying to keep from violating the laws, unfortunately Utica has more than its share of the second because most of there the supporters have either died or left town long ago for greener pastures with the retired Public Employees and their Money! I get the feeling that the disapproval they are sensing is more about being an overpaid Public servant than questioning their loyalty or dedication to their honorable service.

One of the things we dont respect is the way Unions have ramped up the costs associated with that service to the point that the Taxpayer can no longer afford to shoulder the burden. While most employment in this Nation is Market Based; Public Servants have far exceeded the markets that they reside in for decades. Its become a choice of trying to retain those we have by charging much more to the taxpayers or cutting the new folks to keep those with seniority. Its kinda like extortion in some ways, pay more every year or we wont be able to keep you safe! Unfortunately, too many old people just means the day is coming when young folks in the academy your talking to wont even try to join the force here for fear they will lose their jobs before they can get old enough to have seniority.

Military personal are often the group that contains a very equitable comparison of risks for service not unlike law enforcement. They are also one of the few career choices that still supplies a retirement package with a pension, not a 401 or other self funded plan. Thats pretty much where the comparison ends because the financial rewards and benefits are not even close. A full time Staff Level NCO in a combat zone doesnt even make what a retired patrolman does and has no other method of increasing that unless they serve more years and attain a higher rank They have no Overtime retirement boosters, no union perks or protections and unless they seek a second career after retirement, likely will live very poorly after 20 or more years of service defending our constitution.

It may be jealousy by some but mostly its the perception that all things being equal, they arent even close. Too many tricks being used to increase retirements beyond the normal income they received over their service years and too many retiree's leaving the state with that money to live elsewhere so they dont get taxed like those left behind trying to live where they served.

Its a widespread perception that these folks live so differently and much better than those they are sworn to protect that riles folks. I dont know if you can address that in that particular forum, its a perception the Unions and Officials have to do something about, not junior Police Officers. Its time for those in charge to step up and level the field so that the perception of Us and Them returns to All of Us working together.

[longtimer]

I applaud your efforts BZ, you have a tough job ahead of you. I say that because I have done this type of thing a couple of times and it ain't easy. Pick this apart and use what you like.

First, for it to be successful they are going to have to be willing to admit that their own attitude is part, I want to stress part, of the issue. They are feeling no one respects them and what they do and the last thing they want to hear is that any part of it is their fault. That is a natural reaction and as a group they will be no different. Having said that I will give you my thoughts so here goes.

How can officers deal with the public better to created a better relationship between the two?

The single thing I think they need to do is that they need to realize that they have to lead by example. Now this gets touchy so I am going to be a bit wordy here with an example or two.

They need to understand that when they have that uniform on everything they do will be scrutinized. Some of them will say that is not fair but they are not being picked on even though it probably feels that way. It happens to everyone who works in the public view including the cashier at the at the store or the person who serves you coffee at a drive through. Everything you do makes an impression, good or bad and they are no different in that regard. They may say it is different because of what they do but it is not. Everything we all do makes an impression and once they accept that they will feel less like people are picking on them.

Disney has a wonderful teaching program they call the Disney Institute and people from all kinds of organizations from wall street to hospitals send people their. They teach something called on stage and off stage. When you are "on stage" you have to behave in a certain way 100 percent of the time and I mean 100%. You can go "off stage" roll your yes or curse and yell about the stupid public but on stage you will have a smile on your face. You must never do anything that leaves a bad impression because, like it or not they will remember that and they will tell their friends. So let me give an example or two here.

They can't put their lights on and pass people and then pull into Dunkin Donuts, ever. Sorry Ralph. Why? Because they are on stage. People are never going to believe they were really on a call that got canceled. So what should they do? Turn the lights off and drive around a couple of blocks and then go get the coffee. Sound stupid? Not if you want good relations with the public.

Nobody respects people who say one thing and then do another. They can't say don't talk on your cell phone and then be on theirs all the time as some of them are. They must never roll through a stop sign and so on. All of those little things add up and make a difference over tiem. They must understand that if they do something that makes them look bad they are making the entire department look bad. They have to take individual responsibility.

And now for the hard part and I mean really hard part. They have to hold each other accountable for behaving that way. They have to be willing to point out to each other when they had an interaction that could have been handled better. That does not mean trying to catch anyone doing something wrong or finding fault. It does mean accepting the situation and being willing to help each other improve it.

I will end that here, I could go on for a long long time, but I can guarantee you this. If you used the Disney analogy they will tell you that that is crazy and it is not Disney World out there. Although they are correct that it is not Disney World they would be 100% wrong to reject the on stage off stage importance to their relationship with the public. It applies to every person, particularly when working with the public. I would go as far as saying if you can't accept that you have no business working with or for the public.

The second and third items seem very similar to me. I think the public can and needs to be more involved with the police and understand that in spite of what I said above, they are human and not perfect. We have to listen to their point of view and not always be so quick to look for a conspiracy among them.

As far as appreciating them goes I think it is as simple as making eye contact, smiling and saying have a nice day. Doing that when you are wrong, such as getting a ticket may be hard for some but would likely make their day.

Good luck.

[Deleted]

First question: I thought they already did that in terms of basketball games etc. as a group. However while on duty they need to be professional but I think this is where certain parts of the public see's them the most in terms of arresting someone. etc and nothing can be done in that area. They must be professional.

2nd question: Perhaps a monthly support your offiver day whereby an officer is chosen and there is a write up and picture of him in the Utica OD that could address what he enjoys doing in his life

3rd question: I am really never in a situation where I am near a cop. I think what I can do is give them a wave and thumbs up when I see them drive by.

I am sorry to hear that morale is that low. We do owe a giant debt of gratitude and respect for what these guys do every moment of their lives. I know I feel that way. There's is a special calling from God a true vocation of total service.

[Deleted]

The wide majority of people in Utica respect the police. The police have to deal with people who think like criminals and people who think like criminals are not going to respect or have gratitude for any police officer no matter where they are or what the police do. The reason why the general public can appear to not be fully involved with the olice is because the law abiding citizens do no have the mondset of people who think like criminals.

[chris]

Remember the cops walking the beat. Maybe they need to get more out there in the neighborhoods. People today have poor images of cops and don't trust them. Getting closer with the public and working on those issues might help. Also don't think cause you have a badge you are above the law .

[bobbbiez]

Thanks y'all. Keep the comments coming. My first session is on Tuesday so I have time to get ideas from all of you. Just keep in mind there is three parts I would like your input on..

[JGRobinson]

I think Chris has a great point, although Im a Country boy and not used to seeing police other than a drive by anyways, the city and the cop on the beat is a key connection to establish. When they are only seen driving through, around, very little connection will be made with the locals. If you see a cop out of his car talking to a local, its assumed that they did something wrong or they are investigating a specific crime.

The only way to gain the confidence of any local populace is to become part of their every day interaction, not just seen as a reaction to an action. The same has been found out when serving as a peace force after a war like in Iraq. The Soldiers interacting directly and daily with the same locals is informative and it creates a bond that never happens when familiarity isnt present first. Its much less likely to be normal to mislabel, disrespect or challenge someone thats is always around than someone who is identified more by the vehicle they drive than their actual voice, name and persona.

There is more danger and often less effective coverage when your moving at 5 MPH as opposed to 35 MPH but the impromptu and informative conversations cant happen at 35 that will endear the locals to those that are responsible for keeping them safe.

[longtimer]

BZ, I would also add this thought for you to work in when it comes to the public scrutinizing police actions which may translate into a feeling of lack of respect..

We give them the authority to take away something many of us consider as precious as life itself. Something a number of us have fought and seen our friends die for. That something is our freedom.

Because of that I and most people I know feel we need do hold them to the highest level professionalism.

[Deleted]

I think if you have a small police force like in Utica and we have crime taking place in various parts of the city getting to them is slowed down because a limited number of cops are not in cars.

[chris]

You also have to keep in mind that today's cops are younger (than me and the era I am from) Their mentality like anyone else's from the same or younger generation thinks the same. example: celling or texting while driving......you catch me doing that and I would get stopped (maybe) they drive around speeding (and not to a call) texting etc...who patrols them? I've seen it with my own eyes. I can't tell you how many times I've seen them almost cause accidents themselves. So don't preach to me about breaking the law if I know you do.

[Clipper]

Yep. As much as I respect the UPD and it's officers, I wish I had a dime for every time I saw a cop flip on the reds to simply get through an intersection against the light when they were not going to a call.

[Deleted]

I always wondered are the individual cops in cars timed when out on patrol. I would think they are responsible for handeling a certain area for each car on patrol. That would answer why some see the turn on their red lights just to escape a red light. I would think that they are allowed to do that.

I do have to say I have seen many police cars pull off to the side of the road when receiving a cell phone call--at least where I live.

[bobbbiez]

Well, Father Salerno and I held out first class/seminar this morning. Very challenging to say the least. With just the first class Father Joe and I agreed some progress was made for both sides but still way too early to give an honest summary on how successful the class will be.

Do want to thank you all for your input and since our sessions will be two days a week for the month of June, I would appreciate anything else constructive you can add.

Longtimer, a special thank you for your input. I did use the Disney Institute's teaching program and some of your ideas as part of my program and was pleased with the feed back from the officers. If you have anything else to offer feel free to enlighten me. Thanks much......... and to all.

Do want to mention one thing that I wasn't aware of and learned in my own class. It is a New York State law that police officers (and many others) are exempt for the cell & texting laws we all have to abide by. I honestly did not know this until today.

[Clipper]

To the best of my knowledge BZ they are only exempt while on duty. When off duty they are required to adhere to the law just like everyone else.

I found that out after being stopped soon after the law was passed while talking to Walmart Dispatch on the cell phone while driving a truck on the Thruway down by NYC.

I questioned why a trooper was cruising along beside me the day before while chatting away on his cell phone. He explained the law to me and gave me a warning. I was thankful to keep my long time record without a traffic ticket intact.