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Editorial: A new approach to Tampa policing

 
Published March 10, 2016

Tampa police Officer Jerry Wyche routinely walks through the Robles Park housing complex. He passes out lollipops to children and allows them to check out his police gear. He answers questions, often about why he works as an officer, an occupation that too many in the predominately black community view with disdain. Wyche's strolls are about building sorely needed relationships and connections between the police and the community.

As the Tampa Bay Times' Dan Sullivan reported Sunday, Tampa had its highest number of murders last year in 12 years. No arrests have been made in 20 of the 34 homicides that took place in 2015. In many cases, witnesses don't come forward to help police solve crimes because they fear retribution from criminals and view police with suspicion. In east Tampa, residents legitimately complain of being racially profiled and targeted for minor crimes such as riding a bicycle without a light.

Police Chief Eric Ward, who took over the department in May, has instructed the entire police force to operate as Wyche does — to get out of their cars, walk neighborhoods, interact with residents and, in some cases, pass out prizes. Officers recently gave out free tickets to a Tampa Bay Rays game. Ward has dubbed the effort Connect Protect Respect, or CPR. The approach is similar to St. Petersburg police Chief Tony Holloway's park, walk and talk initiative, and it should help build rapport between police and residents. Separately, Ward expects his officers to exhibit courtesy — even when making an arrest. He also has restructured their evaluations so that they can receive credit for doing more than making arrests and giving citations.

Building a bridge between the black community and police is a difficult task at any time because tensions between the groups span decades. In the aftermath of high-profile shooting deaths of unarmed black men at the hands of police officers around the country, inmate and suspect abuse and Tampa's bicycle ticket scandal, distrust has deepened. Wyche is black and grew up in public housing. Ward also is a native of east Tampa and an African-American, only the second in the city's history to lead the police force. But stamping out the scourge of crime, murder and distrust of law enforcement in the city's minority neighborhoods is everyone's responsibility. No one should feel comfortable leaving the job to someone else.

Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn stepped up last year after a spate of shooting deaths in east Tampa and made free recreation cards available for city youth, and he extended recreation center hours to give them safe places to gather. The mayor should again put the city's resources into providing outlets for at-risk youth. He has pledged support. Business owners and community leaders should look for similar ways to help.

For too long, law enforcement agencies have been seen as enemies more interested in arresting people than in partnering with the community to solve and prevent crimes. Ward and his officers are on the right path. But they cannot do it alone.