Officer’s death changed police department’s perspectives
GIRARD
Situations police officers respond to are often unpredictable, especially for domestic- violence calls.
“We have always trained and expressed to our men how dangerous domestic-violence calls are,” said Girard police Chief John Norman.
This danger was especially realized after officer Justin Leo was shot and killed a year ago Sunday while answering a domestic- violence call on Indiana Avenue.
Now, “as far as training goes, we continue to train like we always have, but awareness is the biggest thing,” Norman said.
Since Leo’s death, four full-time and four part-time officers have been hired, a few of them pretty green. One big lesson Norman wants to instill is that no matter how many times they respond to the same house or person, they must always keep their guard up.
“We are trying to catch them up to speed and say, ‘Hey, you have to be alert and look for warning signs,’” Norman said. “I want them to have it in the back of their minds. It will become muscle memory.”
Girard police train every few months, and go over topics such as legal updates – including new search and seizure policies – firearms training and use of force.
Strategic training hasn’t changed, but immediately after the tragedy, Norman made wearing a bulletproof vest mandatory. “It only makes sense to wear them,” he said, even on side jobs such as school events.
In the aftermath of the shooting, the younger officers seemed to band together, Norman noted.
“It’s good. We want them to do that,” he said. “I think they have come together a lot more than in the past.”
Each situation requires a different response.
“If the situation is a felony domestic, you may have to unholster the gun and give commands. I would rather say, “Sorry for hurting your feelings, but I have to protect myself,’” Norman said. “It goes back to knowing the incident, knowing the people. It’s inherent. That gut feeling led me to a lot of things over the years. Same for other officers in the area.”
Officers in recent years are facing a drug and mental health epidemic that has changed how police work, including in their response to domestic violence calls.
“The drug epidemic is killing us, every aspect of this job — the violence, the burglaries,” he said.
Leo became an officer after he went on ride-alongs with Norman before he became chief. Norman remains close with the Leo family.
Norman said he still gets a chill when he sees the dedications around the city for Leo. It wasn’t surprising to him that residents showed so much support.
“All I want is people not to forget Justin or what he did for the community,” Norman said. Since the incident happened, “You feel proud that the city is behind you, and the mayor and administration, you couldn’t ask for better help.
Police from surrounding communities assisted the department after the death. They also came to the funeral, and filled in for Girard police while they paid their respects at the funeral.
“That was a big uplift for us,” Norman said.
Mayor James Melfi expressed his pride for the police department, and recalls the day Leo was killed as one of the darkest in the city. He said his heart is still broken for the Leo family.
Melfi, who knew Leo when he was growing up, said, “We can’t erase what happened, but he will always be in our hearts.”