A police chief’s perspective on policing and customer service

MATTAWA — On June 1, Mattawa experienced a protest regarding the death of George Floyd. The protest was peaceful.

When asked if he had any comments concerning the protest, Mattawa Police Chief Joe Harris said that the death of George Floyd was “unacceptable and never should have occurred.” Harris, who has been in police work for 20 years, stated that while force is sometimes necessary, there is always a reason why it was necessary. But in the case of Floyd, that is not the case.

“There is no reason a human being in handcuffs, face-down on the ground, detained by three other human beings should have another human being pressing his knee into his neck,” Harris said. “Even worse, this detained and handcuffed human being is saying he cannot breathe and the human being with knee to the neck does nothing; 100 percent unacceptable. It is the very small percentage of police contacts like this that stain the entire profession.”

Harris said that law enforcement is broken and that changes need to be made. Police academy teaches officers to be fearful for their lives and to be hyper-vigilant. In Harris’ opinion, this leads officers to be “stand-offish, rude and unempathetic in their contacts with the general public.”

“Officer safety has been taken to such an extreme that it interferes with one of the basic premises of human social contact: everyone wants/needs to feel like they are part of the group,” Harris said.

Harris believes that customer service is a missing component in police interactions.

“Think back to any time you have been contacted by a police officer,” Harris said. “How did that officer treat you? Whether he/she took enforcement action or not, how was the customer service? I’d venture to say it was probably less than desirable. It is even more unfortunate that, as a cop, I see this time and again with a lot of officers I have worked with. We must put customer service back into policing and make it center stage.”

Harris is not saying that officer safety is not important. He realizes that there are individuals who want to harm others and that physical force may be needed to deal with some threats. But those threats need to be tempered with reality and the situation and context in which they occur.

“We must always keep our heads on a swivel, be aware of our surroundings, have contingency plans in every contact we make, and be vigilant,” Harris said. “We must also keep ourselves healthy and in shape so that we can act when called upon.”

But not every person who needs police help is out to kill. Harris believes that acting with respect and empathy should be present in every interaction.

“We must always be ready to answer violence with violence, yes; but we must also remember respect must be given before it can be received,” Harris said. “We must evaluate each contact under the lens of ‘If this were my grandmother, how would I want her treated?’”

While it is offensive to stereotype people based on the color of their skin, Harris said it is also offensive to stereotype someone based on their profession. Just like not all black males are criminals, neither are all police officers murders. Harris believes that most people, regardless of their color, are good people.

“Let’s remember that 95 percent or more of police officers get up every day, put their badge on, and go to work knowing today might be the last day they see their families,” Harris said. “Every police officer knows the heartache of missing out on family functions because they are working holidays, nights and weekends.”

Police officers also have to deal with the emotions that come with calls about children who have been violently raped, women who have been beaten nearly to death and the innocent onlooker who was shot and killed. There are also the accidents that could have been prevented that caused someone to die.

“Ninety percent of our contacts with citizens are in times of crisis,” Harris said. “We make our living trying to defuse conflict, solve problems and make a positive difference, an act that unfortunately garners little recognition or respect from those we serve. But all of us believe, truly believe, in the inherent goodness of people. We all love our fellow man and are willing to lay our lives down in sacrifice so that you continue to enjoy the freedoms guaranteed by our constitution.”

In Washington state and in parts of the Pacific Northwest, law enforcement is making changes to improve the responses of police to be “more effective, equitable and inclusive.”

“The work is not done and we must remain vigilant and steadfast as we reach across the barricade tape to the citizens we serve and allow them a full seat at the table,” Harris said. “I wholeheartedly support the protest against what happened to George Floyd. I wholeheartedly agree that fundamental and systemic change is needed across the criminal justice system. I support our citizens having an equal voice at the table when deciding how the police conduct their business. I welcome those changes and welcome candid, honest and real conversations that lead to them.”

Rachal Pinkerton may be reached via email at rpinkerton@suntribunenews.com.