Some of Savannah’s young people got advice from police Saturday about how to interact with law enforcement officers in ways that won’t escalate confrontations.
Alfred Howard, a youth adviser at Green Grove Missionary Baptist Church, said the idea for the seminar came to him after he heard a young man say he didn’t like the police.
“I said, ‘Why not?’ He did not have an explanation,” Howard said.
Members of the East Waldburg Street church’s Junior Usher Board hosted the event and heard from Savannah-Chatham police Maj. James Barnwell, retired Savannah-Chatham public schools police chief Ulysses Bryant and retired Savannah police Maj. William Lyght.
The speakers stressed the importance of being respectful to police, even in situations when officers aren’t necessarily being respectful back.
“I learned quite a bit about our young people,” said Bryant, who worked on the streets as a county police officer before taking his job with the school system. “... I’ve seen some forms of disrespect for authority, now.”
The former campus police chief said when authority is challenged, conflict can arise.
“When a police (officer) encounters one of our young people, you’ve got to remember the policeman is bringing that attitude and young people are bringing another attitude,” he said. “Now somewhere in the middle there, you’ve got the potential for a real disaster.”
He said he thought some of the issue stems from people who have been taught from childhood not to trust or even talk to police.
Barnwell said the metro police department is in the process of reintroducing community-orienting policing to increase positive interactions between officers and residents. The department is also outfitting its patrol officers with body cameras that will record interactions.
“We too are human,” he said. “We have flaws. We make mistakes. We have good days. We have bad days, but it’s up to us as we go out and we prepare for our work day to leave all of that at home.”
He said that when officers stop someone who matches the description of a suspect in a crime, sometimes they don’t clearly explain what they’re doing. That can result in hostility toward the officer, who, in turn, feels like his or her authority is being threatened, Barnwell said.
“If the time is taken to explain why you’re being stopped, then it makes the transition a whole lot easier,” he said.
Instead of becoming hostile toward the officer, Barnwell said the best thing to do is to ask the officer for his or her name and payroll number.
“By our policy, he is obligated to give you that information,” he said. “Once you get that information, then you can either call the police department and ask for a supervisor to come to your location or you can come down to the police headquarters ... and voice your concern. You don’t have to engage or argue back and forth with that officer.”
Barnwell said to request a supervisor right away if something needs immediate attention, and a sergeant or lieutenant will be called.
“If things are going on or you are out there being mistreated or disrespected, then it’s up to you to let us know,” he said. “And once it’s brought to our attention, we will deal with it. We will handle it.”
Lyght advised making sure hands are visible when pulled over, letting the officer speak first, and being sure to ask before reaching for anything.
“If you say ‘yes sir’ or ‘yes ma’am’ to somebody, you’d be surprised at the reaction you will get in return,” he said.
Barnwell said he is looking into how to have more sessions like Saturday’s at different locations in the future to reach a wider audience.
The speakers said they thought the attendees — who ranged from ages 5-21 — weren’t the ones who needed to hear Saturday’s discussion.
“You’re preaching to the choir,” Howard said. “Hopefully they’ll say to their peers, ‘They said the police are OK.’”