| Pemberville police defend services |
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| Written by HAROLD BROWN Sentinel City Editor | ||
| Friday, 27 April 2012 10:45 | ||
The chief also said he is working on solving manpower issues but expects turnover to remain a concern because officers gain experience and then move on to better jobs. "Professionalism is number one. No matter what the concerns, the complaints, we remain professional. We expect the public to treat us poorly. We do not treat the public poorly," Darling said. About 15 residents attended the hour-long session in council chambers. Concerns about police activity and coverage times were first aired at council's April 17 meeting, which Darling was unable to attend. Darling is the village's lone full-time officer. There are also seven part-time officers and a half dozen auxiliary officers. Darling said he is near hiring four part-time officers and explained that some of the part-timers work just two days a month. Council eliminated funding for a full-time sergeant at the end of 2009 due to budget concerns. He said background checks and hiring requirements make it difficult to fill openings quickly. Darling said police officers realize there are people in every community that do not like the police. "We have very few of those here. I drive around town and people wave and talk to me. People do like us here." Sean Crosby, who has been working in Pemberville five years, said he had "a hard time believing" comments he read. "I have always felt a warm welcome in the community." Working with the EMS, Crosby said he knows it isn't easy to make everybody happy. "People dwell too much on the negatives," Crosby said. To the issue of nighttime coverage, Darling said he is working to resolve the problem but declined to elaborate because details don't need to be in the media. One resident said she was upset any of the police discussion received media attention. Darling said traffic enforcement receives emphasis because Pemberville does not generally have a lot of serious issues. "We try to be proactive with our patrols and traffic stops," the chief said. Council Member Randy Rothenbuhler said he would like to see more community policing and door checks, rather than so much traffic enforcement. Rothenbuhler suggested looking at partnering with one or more law enforcement agencies but there was no further comment on the suggestion. Darling denied allegations that police make a habit of following motorists through town. He said police rely on business owners to lock their doors. He said sometimes when a call is made to a business owner about an unlocked door, the answer has been that they will take care of it in the morning. "As a former business owner, I never felt it was up to the police to secure my business," Mayor Gordon Bowman said. "I never expected the police to guard my business. If there was a break in or a robbery, then the police would step in," Bowman said. The mayor said the police do many things behind the scenes for Pemberville every day. "People see activity they suspect and may never report it. If you have a concern, let them know. They are on our side," Bowman said. Council Member Eric Campbell said if council put an issue on the ballot to abolish the police, he suspected "it would be close to a 50-50 vote. I would like to see such an issue be no contest with overwhelming police support." |
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Comments
try to sweep things under the carpet
God Bless the Sick and Evil again
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