Middletown Police Chief Rodney Muterspaw agreed. He said police officers feeling part of the community is “everything.”
Then he added: “Our community and us work as one. We are not two different things.”
Community policing has been in the news throughout the year because of violence toward police officers and the number of unarmed black men shot by police officers.
So far this year, there have been 128 police officers in the United States who have lost their lives in the line of duty, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. There were 123 officers reportedly killed while working in 2015, the fund said.
Of those 128 killed this year, 60 were shot to death.
The 2016 shootings have spanned the nation, from California to Massachusetts, and they’ve exceeded the number of firearms-related police deaths in all of 2015. According to the fund, firearms were responsible for 41 of 123 officer fatalities in 2015.
There also have been numerous protests and unrest throughout the U.S. following the shootings of unarmed black men.
Earlier this month in Cincinnati, a mistrial was declared after a jury was deadlocked trying to determine if former University of Cincinnati police officer Ray Tensing was guilty of murder and voluntary manslaughter charge after he fatally shot Sam DuBose during a traffic stop last year.
Tensing still faces charges of murder and voluntary manslaughter, and his case may be retried.
Bucheit said he didn’t want to comment on other police departments and how they reacted to shootings. Instead, he wanted to concentrate on his officers and the daily sacrifices they make.
“I’m thankful for the amazing group of men and women who come to work every day to make a living and make a difference in our community,” the chief said. “It’s a privilege to have the opportunity to lead an outstanding organization dedicated to making Hamilton a better place. These men and women come to work passionate to serve the residents.”
Bucheit said the department takes steps daily to improve relationships with residents. When asked whether those relationships are worth the effort, he said: “Absolutely.”
The department’s mission, he said, is to provide “exceptional service for the betterment of Hamilton.”
Earlier this year, Muterspaw made national headlines when he was critical of a police-involved shooting. After watching video of a deadly shooting in Oklahoma in September, Muterspaw, a 26-year veteran of the department, said he couldn’t remain silent. He wrote on his Facebook page that he was “so sick, tired and mentally drained from seeing things like this” after watching the deadly shooting.
Muterspaw wrote on his Facebook page that if police officers “can’t do the job or are scared of people different than you, then get out of the job. You are making us all look bad. STOP.”
An attorney for a white Oklahoma police officer who fatally shot an unarmed black man said the man ignored officers’ commands, kept touching his pocket and was reaching through a window of his SUV when he was killed.
Police video from the incident shows 40-year-old Terence Crutcher walking away from the officers and toward his SUV with his hands up then approaching the side of his vehicle, before an officer shocks him with a stun gun and he is fatally shot. Police were called to the scene to respond to a report of a stalled vehicle.
Muterspaw said he used the shooting in Tulsa as a training tool for his officers. He talked with detectives and his patrol officers.
“It could be us tomorrow,” Muterspaw said at the time. “You have to look at it. It’s not second-guessing anybody. It’s training for us. It’s a chance to learn from it. We are not robots. We have an opinion too. If it makes our department better and keeps our officers safer, if it makes the city better we should speak out about it.”
Since being named police chief two years ago, Muterspaw said his department has increased its community relations and outreach. He said the police department and the residents have a positive relationship, but he knows one shooting could change all of that.
When there’s “questionable” shootings like the one in Tulsa, he said, “it sets us back every time, and it’s hard to get a grip on what we are trying to do.”
Through numerous informal meetings with city representatives, church leaders and Middletown residents, Muterspaw said relationships and trust have been built, creating a calmer climate if a police-involved shooting occurs.
“We all know disconnect is rampant,” he said. “But our residents have been able to put a face with a name, and we have treated them with respect.”
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