Ministerial Alliance now opposing lieutenant’s promotion

The lieutenant’s punishment seemed like a ‘slap on the hand,’ one minister said.

STAFF REPORT

WARREN — Several members of the Trumbull County Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance have announced new opposition to Lt. Joseph Marhulik rising to the rank of captain in the Warren Police Department.

Marhulik was suspended after calling two black men a derogatory term in August.

“While we believe that forgiveness is the Christian thing to do, him being forgiven is by no means an endorsement of Lt. Joseph Marhulik as a police officer,” the alliance said at a press conference Tuesday at the ACOP Center on Niles Road.

“Furthermore, his behavior in question is not acceptable, and by no means do we support his promotion to a higher rank.”

Marhulik admitted to calling two black men on bicycles a derogatory term for a black person the same night a security guard at a low-income apartment complex where Marhulik supervises police officers called police on Marhulik for behaving in a way that suggested he was intoxicated while wearing his service revolver.

Tuesday’s press conference was somewhat of an about-face from a Nov. 11 press event. Two of the ministers from the Nov. 11 press conference — the Rev. Joshua Moore, president of the Ministerial Alliance; and the Rev. William Barnes — attended Tuesday’s media event.

On Nov. 11, the Rev. Mr. Barnes said Marhulik’s behavior appears to be mostly medically related.

“He’s under a doctor’s care right now. He went through the police’s care. And he’s going on his own with AA meetings,” Barnes said at the time.

“And I feel that when they say he’s back to normal, I don’t see why we’d try to hold him back, and we won’t try to hold him back.”

However, Tuesday’s event was also attended by the Revs. Alton Merrell and Samson Murry Jr., who said they thought promoting Marhulik would send the wrong message to the black community, especially since Marhulik has served as a racial-sensitivity trainer for other police officers.

“If you get away with a slap on the hand, it might put a bad taste in the mouths of the community,” The Rev. Mr. Merrell said.

“Trust is violated. Trust takes a long time to be developed or re-established.”

Marhulik was suspended without pay for two weeks — time he served by giving up two weeks’ vacation.

The Rev. Mr. Murry said most police officers do not act in overtly racist ways, but many in the black community believe their neighborhoods don’t receive the same quality of response from officers as those in white neighborhoods.

“We expect the police department to take care of all citizens alike, no preferential treatment. That’s a perfect world,” The Rev. Mr. Moore said.

The alliance is composed of ministers from about 40 Trumbull County churches. Most of the ministers are black.

City Safety-Service Director Doug Franklin said Marhulik’s promotion is on hold while Marhulik attempts to make amends for his actions.