Police departments around the United States have been in the middle of countless news stories over the past year, often involving tragic outcomes. There have been cases of “excessive force” by police and attacks on the officers themselves, both resulting in the loss of life.
Sheriff Pollan
“The incident in Baton Rouge was very personal for me,” said Calhoun County Sheriff Greg Pollan, who lived in Baton Rouge for 10 years and maintains close relationships with sheriffs in that area. Three police officers were fatally shot in Baton Rouge and three others wounded in an attack last month that one witness described as a “fusillade of dozens of shots.”
“It’s senseless,” Pollan said. He described the relationship amongst law enforcement officials as a “brotherhood” and any instance of injury or death to other officers, all are affected.
Bruce Police Chief Stan Evans agreed.
“It doesn’t just impact us but it has a big effect on society as a whole when people start shooting policemen,” Evans said. “Two wrongs can’t make a right.”
Evans said the same holds true in other instances around the country where police have been blamed as the instigators.
“We have bad apples in every profession and we have to weed them out,” Evans said. “Those wrongful actions impact police everywhere.”
Stan Evans
Evans said it’s up to police departments to hold their own officers accountable.
“We can’t just sit back,” he said. “We have to make sure if we have that on our force they must be held accountable. It cannot be tolerated. There’s no place for excessive force.”
Evans and Pollan both stressed the importance of “community policing,” a philosophy that has become more pronounced in recent years as law enforcement agencies work to improve relationships within the communities they serve.
“I learned early on about community-oriented policing,” Pollan said. “We can’t do it without the community. We have to have them to help us. If people aren’t willing to come forward it makes it incredibly difficult on the smallest of cases, but especially the bigger cases – drug cases, murders, assaults.”
“These are trying times,” said Calhoun City Police Chief Tito Lopez. “The biggest challenge right now in law enforcement is trying to bring people together because there’s such a separation right now.”
He said policing between Calhoun City, Vardaman, and Bruce aren’t that much different and they all help each other when needed. Each department faces similar challenges, too. Lopez stressed building relationships throughout all parts of the community is critical.
Tito Lopez
As a leader within the department, Lopez said he works to set an example. He goes out into the community, speaking to groups and teaching martial arts classes as often as he can.
“I’m just trying to let everyone know that we’re all on the same side and we’re working together for a better place to live,” Lopez said. “Things are happening that are really bad on both sides. It has to be fixed and there’s only one way to fix it, that’s by making things better.”
He said he wants the community to know that the department is available for everyone and they’re happy to help in any way they can.
Vardaman Police Chief Kenneth Scott has been leading his department since 2011. He said policing in the county, especially Vardaman, affords the opportunity for “small town policing” where everybody knows everybody.
Scott said he does small things to let the community know the department is on their side, like always throwing his hand up to wave to everyone as he drives throughout town.
“The people of the community support you,” Scott said. “They check on you. They pray for you. It’s more like family than the big cities where they don’t know who their next door neighbor is.”
Kenneth Scott
He said policing in Vardaman is a “neighbor helping neighbor” mindset and if something bad happens, citizens contact the department because they don’t want the crime in their community either.
Scott said law enforcement officers are there to enforce the law but they’re public servants first.
“One of my old police chiefs at Derma, Mike Anderson, said ‘Kenny, get out here, be their friend and treat them like your buddy. But when they break the law, do your job,’” Scott said. “That’s something I’ve always done.”
Evans said his department’s priority is the safety for all citizens.
“We’re going to be firm. We’re going to be fair. We’re going to protect the citizen,” Evans said.
He believes his greatest responsibility as chief is to make sure his community has the best police protection in the world.
“That’s part of the job,” Evans said. “We do not police by fear. We police by going out there and protecting our citizens even if it costs our lives and we live that. We believe that. We will do it.”
All the police chiefs and Sheriff Pollan said they work tirelessly in the community to be visible, whether it’s knocking on doors or visiting the schools.
“Community policing is something you have to work on every day,” Pollan said.
But the incidents around the country have initiated changes in approach at the local level. The sheriff’s department now dispatches two deputies to every call, regardless of how minor it might be.
“We also send a deputy when they’re available every time the police are dispatched to back them up,” Pollan said.
“Everyone’s safety is priority,” Evans said. “We want to do things the right way, and that takes everybody being supportive.”