Residents Raise Their Voices at Norristown Police Chief Search Committee Meeting

Norristown Municipal Council's ad hoc search committee held its second public meeting to garner input from residents on the search for a new police chief Thursday night at the Montgomery County Human Services Center. While the committee's first meeting was rather poorly attended (only seven residents turned out for last Thursday's meeting at the library), more than three dozen people turned out to this most recent meeting and were very vocal about their wants for a new chief of police.

While many diverse groups were represented at the meeting, one theme that re-emerged throughout the night was a desire for a police department that would engage more with the community and a chief who would lead that charge.

"[We need] someone who's not afraid to cross lines, not afraid to interact with the different cultures; not afraid to interact with the mental health population; not afraid to address the young minority youth," said resident Hakim Jones. "We need somebody who can be the face of Norristown."

Both council and residents alike noted that the issue was of grave importance for Norristown.

"This is the most important [decision] any of us who are elected will make," said Councilman Bill Caldwell. "We are at a tipping point. We need to make the right decision."

Just what would constitute the "right decision" is still a matter of debate for many. Just a few of the suggestions made at Thursday's meeting for qualities residents would hope for included:

• Ability to engage the community willingly;
• Ability to manage effectively;
• Able to inspire the community;
• Highly educated/well spoken;
• Ability to develop grass roots trust within the community

The lack of community trust in the current department and the department's disconnect with local groups was illustrated by Town Watch organizer Doris Starks, a regular supporter of the police and its leadership. Starks suggested the department had failed to properly handle the recent missing person case by relying too heavily on local media and Facebook to spread the word.

"I wasn't aware of anything and neither was my Town Watch members," said Starks. "They heard it from another source. I didn't know who it was until I saw it in the newspaper... I went down to the station and I told them, I said, 'Why wasn't Town Watch notified?'" 

Latino residents were also represented at the meeting, with one resident noting that her group attempted to arrange a meeting with police and the municipality to discuss law enforcement issues in the Latino community and were repeatedly rebuffed.

Several residents noted that having a bilingual chief of police would be a real asset to the community.

Cultural and racial divides in Norristown were well-covered territory at the meeting and Councilman Marlon Millner noted that it wasn't an issue the community could afford to ignore.

"We've got a black and a brown and a white problem in Norristown," said Millner, "and the police chief is going to be right in the middle."

Millner voiced his support for affirmative action and a focus on statistically proven methods for crime reduction as guiding factor for his decision making process. He also stressed that the public meetings were definitely informing the search process.

"This is the democratic process at work," he said.

At least one resident echoed that crime wasn't the only issue facing a new chief of police.

"The person that comes in here is going to have a lot more than policing to do," said resident Patsy Morningstar.

Council President Gary Simpson noted that while the choice of police chief is an important issue facing Norristown, it isn't the solution to all of its problems.

"A police officer isn't someone who can fix all the problems," said Simpson. "That's something the community has to do."

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