Valley leaders, pastors react to ambush of Dallas cops

By DAVID SKOLNICK

and JORDYN GRZELEWSKI

news@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

A police ambush in Dallas that left five officers dead and seven others shot could happen anywhere, but local law-enforcement officials say the relationships they’ve built with members of the minority community go a long way toward avoiding such tragedy.

Youngstown Mayor John A. McNally said, however: “All it takes is one event to upset the good work that’s been done.”

The ambush came on the heels of the death of two black men – one in Baton Rouge, La., and the other in Falcon Heights, Minn. – shot by police officers. The man who opened fire on Dallas police at a peaceful rally was black and told police before he was killed that he did it in response to officers shooting black people.

“There’s anger, fear and mistrust” among blacks toward law enforcement, said the Rev. Kenneth Simon, pastor at New Bethel Baptist Church in Youngstown. “We can’t ignore their pain and that the tension is real.”

The Rev. Mr. Simon added: “The potential [for a deadly police-connected shooting] is here because racism is here. We need to have the honest conversation on race. It affects every aspect of life. It can happen here.”

Youngstown Police Chief Robin Lees said, “You have to be cognizant of what’s around you, but if someone’s going to do that, it’s difficult to stop them. In Dallas as gunfire erupted, the crowd ran and police moved to engage [the sniper]. Officers were trained in active shootings. Unfortunately, they didn’t realize they were the targets.”

Lees said he is “shocked by an unprovoked attack” and that it’s particularly troubling it happened to officers providing security at a peaceful protest.

Youngstown officers are trained on “defensive tactics to defend themselves,” but what to do when snipers are trying to kill them isn’t part of that training, Lees said.

“Officers go into high-crime areas with extreme levels of violence,” he said. “Our mission is to protect the public and prevent crime when we can. That will continue to be our focus.”

Councilwoman Anita Davis, D-6th, a retired Youngstown police officer, said: “I’m so ready to cry. I’m just sickened by it, all of it. ... It was a little, quiet, peaceful protest march that turned into total chaos and mass murder.”

Davis said the city police department sometimes faces criticism from citizens, but that “doesn’t mean there isn’t a good relationship. Youngstown residents have been supportive of the police department.”

Campbell police are considering some changes, said Chief Drew Rauzan.

“We are in the middle of re-evaluating the way that we are deploying some of our resources, temporarily, because of the recent string of violence,” he said.

One change that the department is discussing, he said, is a requirement that, when there is enough staff, officers patrol in pairs rather than alone.

“So if we are the victim of an ambush-style assault,” at least two officers would be present to deal with the situation, Rauzan said.

Boardman Police Chief Jack Nichols said law-enforcement agencies in this area are ahead of the curve in terms of building strong relationships between law enforcement and members of minority communities, in particular, because many agencies have participated in workshops focused specifically on that topic.

“It’s certainly something that can happen anywhere,” he said of the Dallas shooting. “But I think the area police departments have worked over the last few years to have better relationships with minority communities.”

Mahoning County Sheriff Jerry Greene said: “Our officers are trained, and it is now [state] mandated that they have courses in policing culturally diverse communities and awareness of cultural diversity.”

This is part of 11 hours of yearly training for every deputy.

All of this was underway before the incidents in Louisiana, Minnesota and Texas.

“We’re just going to have to continue to be proactive out there in the community, making sure our citizens are safe and ensuring that those officers are safe as well,” Greene said. “Officers are taught to continuously rely upon their training and common sense to make good, safe decisions.”

As for his reaction to the Dallas incident, Greene said: “Law enforcement feels like they’ve had a punch to the gut. It’s a very tough time to be in law enforcement, but we all will continue to do the job that we have been sworn to do, which is to protect the community.”

Canfield police are not considering any major changes to protocol.

Police Chief Chuck Colucci emphasized what he believes is the key to avoiding conflict between officers and citizens: professionalism on the part of law enforcement.

McNally, Lees and Guy Burney, coordinator of the city’s Community Initiative to Reduce Violence, which works to reduce gun violence in the city, coordinated a 90-minute meeting with 21 pastors Friday to discuss what can be done to heal the community and make sure similar incidents don’t happen in Youngstown.

Lees typically meets with local pastors four times a year to discuss police issues.

“It’s heart-wrenching,” Burney said of the recent killings. “We’re continually dealing with these issues.”

As for whether a similar incident could occur in Youngstown, Burney said, “We can’t say what’s in people’s heads and hearts. We try to be as proactive as possible. We’re connecting residents with officers and talking about issues of respect and diversity.”

The Rev. Kenneth Donaldson, a pastor at Rising Star Baptist Church who was at the meeting, said he was pulled over for speeding Thursday by a white police officer in Trumbull County with his 17-year-old son in the car.

“I was very impressed with how the officer handled it,” he said. “It was my son’s first interaction with the police for breaking the law. It was a positive experience. We treated each other with respect. I far surpassed the speed limit. There was no excuse, and the officer did everything right. I treated him with dignity and respect, and he did the same.”

That doesn’t mean, the Rev. Mr. Donaldson said, that there isn’t an issue with law enforcement “disproportionately targeting” African-Americans.

“I’m very angry like everybody else,” he said. “I have the same emotions as everyone else. But if you treat police with respect, you likely are to be treated the same way by officers.”

The Rev. Bryant Smith of Temple Emmanuel Seventh-Day Adventist Church said Youngstown police are doing a good job. But without open dialogue, “all of a sudden the police are dealing with something big. People don’t have hope and they’re cynical. We need to bring hope and healing to people before a small incident sets people off.”

“There can be anger, but we need a message of peace,” McNally said.

Contributor: Staff writer Peter H. Milliken