By Alex Bass
Alex.bass@triangletribune.com
RALEIGH – No drones appeared to be flying over the Fletcher Theater during a Feb. 24 forum introducing Raleigh’s three police chief finalists.
While drones and other technologies will grow in policing practices, the finalists’ visions for leading Raleigh’s law enforcement were united by commitments to be proactive in building interpersonal relationships through education and trust with the community.
Rico Boyce of Raleigh, Sonia Russell of Detroit, and Joshua Wallace of Chicago offered lighthearted moments during the structured panel discussion rooted in prepared questions, including some queries submitted through city-sponsored telephone and digital engagement options. No questions were taken at the forum, and candidates were unavailable for one-on-one interviews following the discussion. Each candidate has at least 23 years of law enforcement experience.
Boyce – in his 25th year with the RPD – is deputy chief of administration. He called for the return of “Cops on the Block” – a program active when he served as RPD’s Southeast district commander. (RPD has commanders for six geographical districts.)
“You go and you knock on the door, and you introduce yourself to the resident,” Boyce said. “It was an opportunity for us to have a conversation and trust one another, or at least ask questions of one another when there was no crime.”
Wallace – commander of the Criminal Network Group in the Chicago Police Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism – advocated, too, for foot patrol engagement akin to his time as a commander of one of Chicago’s 12 districts.
“That was common. That was expected. That is how you got to know the people in the neighborhood,” he said. “That was a direct line back to the supervisory staff within the district.”
Russell – commander of Crime Control Strategies for the Detroit Police Department – advocated for restorative practices, beginning with community meeting settings with police officers and civilians all in plain clothes to protect each other’s identities. The method can begin transformations.
“If somebody in the community is harmed, they get a chance to let the police know how they made them feel,” Russell said. “It’s letting the police know what it’s like in the citizen’s mind. It’s letting the officer know how they perceive you. Perception is everything. It starts with the police chief.”
Education, formal and informal, will take on a unique role for whomever is tapped as retiring police chief Estella Patterson’s successor. Boyce endorses the importance of a Citizens Police Academy for the public to see how law enforcement works. He added that optimizing retention by taking care of existing personnel – compensation and other work-life balance benefits – is one of the strongest recruiting practices for attracting new officers. Raleigh added 40 new officers at last week’s commencement.
Russell discussed partnering with schools for police-relevant programming beyond juvenile justice as early as middle school. High school, she said, is too late, as teenagers often see reactive enforcement for law breaking as their first interactions with police.
“That automatically puts a negative perception in a child’s mind,” Russell said.
Wallace highlighted Chicago’s “Intervention Connection” program for at-risk youth as a model he would incorporate in Raleigh. That program includes job training, interview skills, access to needed therapies and more.
“Why can’t we give them STEM? Why can’t we give them music,” Wallace asked. “We have to meet the community where they are and stop expecting the community to meet us where we are.”
