Common council candidates talk police and community

Oct. 22—The Union-Sun & Journal is in touch with Common Council candidates in competitive races to get their thoughts on different issues in the city of Lockport. Every Friday through the end of this month, we're publishing the candidates' answers to four questions asked of all of them.

Question 3: Do Lockport Police Department's relationships with the community need improvement, and if so, what do you suggest?

MARGARET LUPO ALDERMAN AT LARGE

Past administrations in Lockport have defunded every department but the Lockport Police Department. We have watched past frivolous spending habits lead to the dismantling of the youth department, the selling of the ambulances, the layoffs of street workers and firefighters,and also the downsizing of the building inspection department. We have thus demanded that the Lockport Police Department become the Swiss Army Knife of the city. They are answering calls that would be better suited left to paramedics/ fire personnel, building Inspection, dog warden, youth department leaders, etc. The function of government is to provide leadership, maintain order, provide public services, provide national security, economic security, and economic assistance. Asking the Lockport Police to step in and try to do all of these things was irresponsible and now we do have relationship problems. Public services in the city of Lockport have been so severely neglected and disabled to the detriment of all functions. Past mismanagements are now left to current leaders to rectify within difficult budget constraints, lawsuits and underfunded departments. It will take bipartisan efforts, common sense budgeting and an ability to move forward in a productive manner to repair these relationships. I believe it is possible to work towards a mutual respect for all of Lockport City employees. I believe in the dignity of all workers. I think these relationships can become better when the police are enabled to do the work they were tasked to do and other departments are able to do their work as well. We have put forth too many demands on our police officers and it is time to change that.

GINA PASCERI ALDERMAN AT LARGE

I know little to nothing about the Lockport Police Department or how it functions, so I do not feel comfortable commenting on improvement. I will say that I think police are vital to all communities, I don't believe in the disbanding or the defunding of them. The demographic they most serve need them.

JOHN CRAIG 1ST WARD

Public safety has been a foundational service of cities, towns, and villages since the birth of our nation. Organized militia were the first public safety officials until local and regional police agencies became common place and the backbone to curbing crime, supporting citizens, and dealing with wrong doing. More recently, the work of Department's nationwide are coming under the microscope with issues of equity and diversity taking front and center. Along with these concerns, the work of the police force has taken on many new facets with changing laws, regulations, policies, operational procedures, technology and an array of trainings and certifications, just to name a few.

In my view the police department demographic should mirror the community's in some fashion so they understand the nature of ethnicities that reside there. The fabric of Lockport's demographic has been changing for the past 20+ years or more. When one has not walked in the shoes of another, it is harder to equate the foundation and culture of where that individual has been or is going; those experiences cannot be taught. Many of the police officers I grew up with and knew, were born and lived here.

Police presence can be enhanced through more targeted community engagement. This is not to say that LPD does not engage our community across a wide spectrum of services and support; they do. They are in our schools, neighborhoods and we see them about their business. However, I do feel more face to face experiences of walking around with a partner to support the team approach could be a way to enhance relationships with those who are not comfortable with their presence. It's a way to generate support, goodwill, and spread new ideas about, "if you see, report it" mentalities among other topics to a changing citizenry.

PAUL BEAKMAN 1ST WARD

I served as a Lockport Police Officer from 1985 to 2010, I am the only candidate that worked in law enforcement, my perspective comes from real-life experiences.

Leadership at the Police Department is lacking in community engagement. There must be more community engagement and the leadership needs to go out and meet with the people. There should be meetings in every ward with the Police Chief, community, and Aldermen to address concerns or needs. If elected I'll organize and conduct these meetings in the First Ward.

When I started there was a residency requirement and every Police Officer lived in the City of Lockport. The officers were part of their neighborhood and community, they kept eyes on their neighborhood on or off duty, they had relationships with those they served. However, then officers were allowed to reside anywhere in Niagara County, today we have officers who live in Erie County and few in Lockport. While our officers serve with integrity, the community engagement and compassion that comes from living in the neighborhood is lacking. New contracts should incentivize residency in the city.

I was trained by senior officers who taught rookies how to diffuse tough situations by simply talking and listening, we were taught that not everyone is bad. Recruits must be paired with senior officers and field training officers need 5+ years of experience to qualify as field training officers.

Policing is an extremely dangerous profession, more so today with the increasing hostility towards officers. This hostility perpetuates the idea that all police are bad and don't care. That's an outright lie, the men and women who serve our communities are good and honest officers who do thankless jobs and sacrifice their lives to keep us safe. We all owe a debt of gratitude to our police officers.

LUKE KANTOR 2ND WARD

The Lockport Police Department has been doing a good job responding and adapting to the new style of Community Policing. Policing today is different than it was generations ago. New trainings, policies, and procedures have been recommended in addition to the immense amount of training already required. Current officers have been taking new/updated trainings and will continue to do so.

It has come up multiple times that the City's Police department is lacking diversity in its officers. It is important to note that the Police Board is ultimately in charge of hiring quality candidates based off of the lists provided after testing. All parties continue to push for diverse hires of qualified candidates that are representative of our community. Civil Service rules and regulations must be honored.

LPDs increased attention to connecting with youth will continue to strengthen and reconnect our community and Police department building trust and respect of authority with future generations. I've seen first-hand the programs that LPD has provided with youth at the schools during my time running camp as they would annually bring youth to help with projects. The LPD officers did a great job connecting with these students and important bonds were built.

I appreciate the hard work and dedication of the men and women in our Lockport Police Department. It is upsetting to see recent trends of total disregard and active violence towards officers that put their own lives on the line to protect and serve their community. Generalizations of a whole group must not be made from a few bad individuals yet it happens at an increasing rate with all groups. I know together, as a City, we can continue to work to solve issues, repair relationships, and think ahead as policing in general continues to evolve.

BETHANY PATTERSON 2ND WARD

First and foremost, I want to thank all of our officers who put their lives on the line to serve the greater good of the Lockport community. I consider the Lockport Police Department as an essential public service that all community members should have safe access to without fear. I come from a mixed race home with a white mother and Black father, but appear white to society, so I have an understanding from many different viewpoints.

It is hopeful to see pictures of LPD officers handing out sports equipment to kids playing, joining basketball games in the parks, and reading to children in classrooms. These are positive steps to building and forming natural long lasting relationships. Officers today feel like they are under a microscope, feeling scrutinized for how they handle situations, from dynamics with communities of color, domestic violence situations, and mental health intervention. We have to allow our officers the opportunity to be built for success. Why are we expecting police officers to heal race relations? Know everything about mental health crises? Or effectively deescalate a domestic violence situations?

LPD needs more resources for their jobs, so they are not pulled in many different directions. LPD has created the, "The Explorer Program", which allows kids as young as 15 to have a hands-on experience with many different facets within a career of law enforcement. This is just one step in the right direction for the importance of building relationships not only with teenagers, but to engage and foster more native Lockport officers. To be clear, it is not fair to the current officers on the police force or to community members that there is no representation on the police force. With time, change can come and we can continue to grow and learn together as a community.

CHRIS TOLAND 4TH WARD

Community/Law Enforcement relationships across the country are strained, and Lockport is no exception. Lockport suffers from a lack of trust some residents have in the police department that has bubbled to the surface in the last few years. There are no quick-fixes or miracle cures when dealing with policing, but there are a few clear issues that need to be addressed.

First, Lockport's police department is staffed overwhelmingly by non-residents. Officers who commute in from Clarence, or Tonawanda, or Buffalo. This is a problem. Non-resident officers don't always know the people on the streets they patrol. Officers who live and work and raise their families in the City of Lockport have a vested interest in keeping Lockport safe, and in having a better relationship with our citizens.

Second, the makeup of Lockport's police department does not reflect that of the overall community. Programs such as training initiatives and community events need to be developed to recruit and train diverse voices from the City of Lockport into the police department, thereby making the people who protect our city more representative of the city as a whole.

These policies will not fix the problems that have been growing in Lockport and the country, but they can serve as a start toward finding better solutions together.

KATHRYN FOGLE 4TH WARD

I feel the Lockport Police are making an excellent attempt at community outreach. But I feel that until they get some minority officers it will not happen.

KRISTIN BARNARD 5TH WARD

All relationships could use improvement. The relationship between police officers and the community should follow the same guidelines required for any relationship to be successful. There is no such thing as a perfect relationship and there is always room for growth and improvement.

Police officers should continue to participate in community activities, youth programs, and have a presence in school activities. However, just having a presence is not enough. Having a reason to positively engage with the community opens the door for communication and forming relationships. The "Bridge the Gap Program" is a great way to encourage police officers to interact with both children and young adults. Interacting through sports is a positive way for kids to converse with these officers and build mutual trust.

The relationship the police have with the community is sometimes viewed as unidirectional, but a successful relationship is never one sided. The police rely on the community as much as the community relies on the police. A relationship requires continued effort from both sides. The City of Lockport should continue to encourage a dialogue between the residents and police officers. The City can continue the use of a committee to build and improve on this relationship. A committee should regularly meet to acknowledge the challenges of the community, evaluate what areas are needed for improvement and determine a solution. The process will always be evolving and open dialog is key to success.

The residents of Lockport and the police officers should work together to determine what they envision for the City of Lockport. This will not only strengthen the relationship, but also strengthen the community as a whole.

JON WILEY 5TH WARD

Yes, I do think that the Lockport Police Departments relationship with the community needs improvement.

I think that this would enhance on the building of a stronger community and the relationship of its citizens.

I think that all relationships are vital to having a successful community, not only that of the Police Department, but of all governmental agencies that impact society in general.