Bishop Murry offers insights, credibility to panel on policing

Too often over the years, leaders from presidents on down have conjured up fanciful-sounding task forces, special commissions and executive panels in an attempt to resolve complex and divisive social problems. Though well-intentioned, these panels often have degenerated into little more than smoke and mirrors, creating only the illusion of commitment and action to lessen or solve the problem at hand.

We’re optimistic, however, that such will not be the case with Gov. John Kasich’s Ohio Task Force on Community-Police Relations. Such optimism stems in part from the diverse and action-oriented heavy hitters who constitute the task force membership.

They range from former Ohio Gov. and U.S. Sen. George Voinovich to Eve Stratton, former justice of the Ohio Supreme Court. And from our perspective, the governor could not have selected a better Mahoning Valley and religious representative than Youngstown Diocese Bishop George V. Murry.

With his diverse background, his familiarity with inner-city social justice issues and his penchant to tackle tasks with serious zeal, we look for Bishop Murry to play a critical role in the task force’s mission of studying the state of police-community relations in Ohio and in making realistic recommendations to improve them.

Bishop Murry joined other members of the task force Tuesday night at its first meeting at Cleveland State University. Between now and April 30, it is charged with exploring these issues and crafting statewide recommendations about them: Best community policing practices, law enforcement training, standards for law enforcement interaction with the community and community involvement in law enforcement.

THE BISHOP’S ATTRIBUTES

For his part, Bishop Murry is well anchored to offer credible input. As a member of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice, Peace and Human Development, he emerges as a resident expert on the broad spectrum of domestic-justice issues in the nation, in the state and in the urban centers of Youngstown, Warren and Canton within his diocese.

He also comes equipped with a mature understanding of the purpose of the panel and its overarching mission.

“In light of events, which have occurred during the past few months, events which have demonized police departments and various communities, it is my hope that this task force will help communities and police departments better understand each other and work together for the common good,” the bishop said when accepting the appointment last week.

He’s already reached out for guidance from large police departments in the diocese and hopes to speak with officers who patrol tense neighborhoods. He also should receive strong valuable input from such proactive and productive citizen groups as the Community Initiative to Reduce Violence in Youngstown.

Clearly a variety of deep fractures between neighborhoods — particularly minority neighborhoods — and police agencies have risen to the forefront of public consciousness after a string of recent and well-publicized killings by police offers in our state and nation. The creation of the task force — believed to be the first of its kind in the nation — represents a strong first step and our best hope yet toward mending those fractures.

That’s why Bishop Murry and other task force members must remain on task over the next 100 days in investigating and brainstorming tools to build stronger bridges between police departments and minority communities. We’re confident that by April 30, a set of workable recommendations will result. And thanks to the sage input of our bishop, the Greater Youngstown area likely will have a firm imprint on them.