To encourage stronger relationships between the police and society, Michala Johnson, a junior and president of the Black Honors Student Organization, said officers should be approachable when wearing their badge. This is one of the reasons she organized Breaking the Barrier, an event that brought together police officers and students.
Held at Eastern Michigan University, the event was designed to create a safe environment where Black people who are traditionally afraid of the police could talk and move past that fear.
Johnson said changes that would improve police-public relationships include practices that have officers smiling more, asking someone about their day, and not consistently looking for a problem. She said when officers take their badges off, they should make an effort to visit different communities to mend the gap and work to have those uncomfortable conversations about safe interactions with an officer.
EMU’s Black Honors Student Organization, the Black Student Union, and the NAACP invited university students, faculty, and alumni to participate in the event Tuesday, Feb. 11, in the Student Center. At least 10 officers from Pittsfield Township, Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County, Michigan State University, and Eastern Michigan’s Police Department participated. So did about 20 Eastern students.
Sariah Metcalfe, a program coordinator at the university's Center of Race and Ethnicity, said Breaking the Barrier addresses community building and how to recognize that everyone can contribute to creating a better society. She felt like it was a good start to learning history, where that fear comes from, and how it can be overcome.
The event was based on a movie called "The Hate You Give" about police brutality. The organizers showcased clips from the movie while having discussions with local police officers and addressing uncomfortable conversations to repair the gap.
The event started with small group discussions at individual tables. Students and police officers talked about everything from their favorite places while growing up to whether they've ever code-switched, which is deliberately changing actions and speech to blend in with those around you. Later, the groups came together, and police officers and several students addressed a series of questions.
The questions were shown on a large monitor in the room. For each question three students and three officers stood up and shared their responses.
The first question was, what was your favorite song or hobby.
Among the first to respond was Rich Coleman, community coordinator at the Pittsfield Charter Township Department of Public Safety. Coleman said his favorite song was one he made called “Don’t Drop Out of School,” which is available on SoundCloud. He said it reminded him of when he used to work with students in Detroit.
With the icebreaker out of the way the questions turned to more substantive matters.
Q: Have you ever been fearful of the police or had a bad interaction with the police?
Some officers and students said they have had bad experiences with officers. Officers said they've occurred when they were off duty.
“That physical reaction you have when those lights kick on, I know that, I felt that,” Pittsfield Township Police Chief Patrick Gray said. “There’s a physiological reaction. Palms get sweaty and hands get shaky. That’s something that I remembered when I became a police officer; that’s likely how the person feels and anything I can do to bring that down, was the goal.”
Q: What are ways officers and community members can work together to prevent incidents of police violence?
Thomas Guynes, a Washtenaw County deputy sheriff, said young people have limited experience with law enforcement in part because they see police officers in a negative light. Whenever young people interact with authorities, he said, it almost comes across as an overreaction.
“I tell kids when you’re driving, it’s not the place to argue. It’s not the place to go ‘I know my rights,' ” Guynes said. “The advice I would normally give is to make that interaction as quick as possible, and if you have issues, go to the station.”
Guynes said the media brings more sensationalism to negative interactions, and that publicity can keep police officers and the community at odds with each other instead of trying to come together.
Arthur Thomas, from the Ann Arbor parks department, said the issue comes down to officer training. He said officers should be held to a higher standard because they chose that profession, so they have to have the proper training to deal with people daily.
“It’s the way that we have to behave, to keep them from being fearful of us,” Thomas said. “Even though you might not agree with an order, you have to think about what’s best for you because all officers don’t have the same training.”
Sariah Metcalfe, a program coordinator at the university's Center of Race and Ethnicity, said Breaking the Barrier addresses community building and how to recognize that everyone can contribute to creating a better society. She said she didn’t have an answer to the question but a good start to addressing the issue is learning the history and understanding where that fear comes from and how it can be overcome.
Dwight Hamilton, EMU’s chief diversity officer, said he never worried about police because he had police officers in his family. He then learned that wasn’t the case when he had an interaction with an officer downriver, where there weren’t many black people. Hamilton said he was pulled over about two or three in the morning as he was leaving his summer job at a Frito-Lay distribution center. He said the interaction between should go both ways as Thomas said. From that situation, Hamilton, said he learned that his respect for law enforcement didn’t always protect him.
Hamilton said he also learned that sometimes community members approach the police as if the officers were a customer service operation. As an example, he said, some would rather call the police about noise being too loud than go down the hall and ask those playing the music to turn it down. Hamilton said getting the police involved in a situation like this isn’t required because it would lead to having an uncomfortable conversation.
He said he remembered a time while working at another institution when he lived close to campus. One night, loud music was playing. Hamilton went to the residence to ask them to keep it down because he didn’t want to have any interaction with law enforcement if it wasn’t called for.
“I want to reduce ... those interactions that could possibly go sideways,” Hamilton said.
Washtenaw County Sheriff Alicia Dyer said she agreed with Hamilton. Dyer said reducing unnecessary enforcement contact for low-level situations is one way to prevent police violence.
“If it’s a safety issue that’s one thing,” Dyer said. “But if it’s a stop just because they’re bored, getting pressured to make stops or this idea that you might find something, that’s causing a lot of harm. I think you see plenty of research that shows that.”
Dyer said Washtenaw County is working to create community-driven policy teams that would prevent violent police incidents. It’s easy for officers, particularly those working in communities where they don't live, to forget what those interactions are like for the resident.
Johnson said more thought is required on both sides of the interaction.
“When you really care about your job and it calls for certain things, you have to do your outside homework,” Johnson said. "It doesn’t just take clocking in for you to have to clock in.”
Q: Are you comfortable approaching the police?
Students Johnathan Jones and Rochelle Watson both said they are comfortable approaching the officers on campus because of how frequently they see them. Regarding officers in other jurisdictions, they said, they aren’t as comfortable.
Q: How has conversation around police brutality and systemic racism impacted the way you approach your work?
Ciara Johnson, an officer in the Ann Arbor Police Department's community engagement program, said she was the only Black woman on the force when she started.
When Johnson said that when she and her peers were asked about comparing race with something else, one of her peers responded that it was the only way. When Johnson heard that, she said, she was confused because that was the reason why they were there. Johnson then remembered back to when she first started at Ann Arbor and connected it to how she felt being the only Black woman officer.
“For me it made me want to be on that other side of the fence, of teaching fair and impartial policing,” Ciara Johnson said, “But also to ‘hey we can’t do that or say that.’ So, I think that constantly training and making sure you know biases exist and it’s OK, but you have to be able to navigate through those things. That’s how I approach my work.”
Q: How does your department handle incidents where officers are accused of misconduct? Are there areas where you see room for improvement?
Michigan State Trooper Nathan Dillion said body cameras are the best way to get footage of what happened, and they could go under review randomly.
Patrick Gray said people are more likely to tell people they have a bad experience, rather than a good experience, with an officer. When people talk about their bad experiences it gets around quickly, Gray said, and he doesn’t want that for Pittsfield’s department.
Gray said when the department gets footage of an officer speaking poorly to someone, they ensure improvements are made.
Q: If you had the power to change law enforcement culture or policy, what would it be?
Ann Arbor Officer Ciara Johnson said her work includes planning for events. At these events, she said, officers in vests stand with their hands in their vests so they are quicker to block an attack if necessary. Johnson said she can’t stand it because officers have to stand like this no matter what they’re doing, even with events they have with children. Johnson said the stance officers take is something that’s a part of their culture.
EMU police officer Andrea Elliot said she doesn’t like that many police officers are friends only with other officers. Elliot said it’s unhealthy because it can transform into an unwanted attitude. Elliot said many of her friends are into science or academics and she wishes that other police officers get to know other people.
