Erie Police: Don't defund our efforts to curb violence, help youth

Justin Stidham
·4 min read

On June 15th, 2022, a large gathering filled Erie City Council chambers for a bimonthly scheduled City Council meeting. During the public comment section of the meeting, many community members spoke on the topic of the addition of 21 new police officers to the Erie Police Department. These officers are being funded by the American Rescue Plan. There was a strong showing of support to hire these additional officers by constituents of these elected City Council members. Several Erie City Council members failed to acknowledge the needs of these community members. A 5-2 vote in favor of hiring nine new police officers on June 27, 2022, created a deceiving narrative, as Erie City Council then abruptly voted 4-3 in favor of a motion to DEFUND these same positions on Jan. 1, 2024, well before the expiration of the five-year funding.

In this file photo, Erie Bureau of Police Patrolman Jason Morell, at left, and Cpl. Justin Stidham lay a wreath during a memorial ceremony, May 12, 2021, at Perry Square in Erie for police officers who have died in the line of duty in the City of Erie and also in Erie County. Morell is the president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 64, covering Erie County police officers. Stidham is the president of FOP Lodge 7, which represents the Erie Bureau of Police.

Many community members spoke about the grief their community has endured as they have watched young African Americans gunned down in the street. These community members made a plea to City Council for more police officers to curb the violence on Erie streets. They applauded the hard work and dedication to the Erie youth by way of the Police Athletic League, led by Lt. Tom Lenox and 93 other police officers. The PAL program provides an after-school program, summer camps, and community events to over 800 kids in the city of Erie. This is one of the largest youth programs in the city, which is overwhelmingly run by city of Erie police officers. This programs creates long-term positive relationships between Erie's youth and police officers.

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Although the PAL program leads to so many of Erie's youth making the right decisions for themselves, as well as teaches them to be positive role models to their peers, the city of Erie is still battling a juvenile crime problem. Just a few of the many examples include the recent shooting inside Erie High School, and the horrific murder of a 7-year-old boy in east Erie.

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Police tape marks the scene where a 7-year-old boy, Antonio Yarger Jr., was shot in the head while outside in his neighborhood in the 2100 block of Downing Avenue in Erie on April 14, 2022.
Police tape marks the scene where a 7-year-old boy, Antonio Yarger Jr., was shot in the head while outside in his neighborhood in the 2100 block of Downing Avenue in Erie on April 14, 2022.

City Council members also heard from community members regarding the extreme need for further resources to assist with mental health emergencies and domestic violence incidents. The first line of response for incidents of this nature is almost always the city of Erie police. Erie County Crisis Services works hand in hand with the Erie Police Department to provide on demand crisis services to individual in need.

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With the hard work of the city of Erie police command staff and the city of Erie administration, a strategic plan was devised for the best way to deploy these additional officers within the city of Erie Police Department. This includes the restoration of a family crisis unit and a juvenile detective unit. Both of these units will provide officers with further specialized training, and the ability to dedicate themselves solely to these types of incidents. This will better serve the victims of juvenile and domestic-related crimes; it will increase the ability to rehabilitate juveniles who have not yet committed violent crimes; and provide exemplary services to individuals suffering from mental illness.

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The decision made by Erie City Council to DEFUND already approved American Rescue Plan funds allotted to the Erie Police Department is irresponsible to the citizens of the city of Erie. The increased police and community services these funds will provide are an immediate and direct increase to the safety of our citizens. These specialized units, along with additions to already successful units at the Erie Police Department, will undoubtedly provide more efficient police services.

The FOP does recognize that American Rescue Plan funds expire, and without finding further funding for these positions, they will most likely be eliminated through the future retirements of officers. However, the city of Erie has an urgent need right now for increased police services, specifically in the above-mentioned areas. The actions we take now to address these issues can and will prove to be a long-term investment to the safety of the Erie community.

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The Erie Fraternal Order of Police represents all of the active and retired police officers of the city of Erie Police Department. Furthermore, the FOP takes pride in being a voice, not just for the Erie police officers, but also for the community we serve. The Erie Fraternal Order of Police strongly urges Erie City Council to reverse the motion made on June 15th, 2022, to DEFUND allotted American Rescue Plan funding for the expansion of police services and protection in the city of Erie. The FOP also urges the citizens of the city of Erie to contact their elected officials, specifically Erie City Council, and demand they reverse their decision to DEFUND the Erie Police Department.

Justin O. Stidham is the president of the Erie Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: FOP to City Council: Restore our funding to curb violence, help youth