Incident Opened Door to Improving Relations

“African American priest in full vestments . . . confronted with drawn weapons and handcuffed by officers in the presence of parishioners and schoolchildren.” “Chief defends officers.”

The Jan. 7 incident that took place on church and school property in Canoga Park had its sensational aspects. In the diverse and complex city in which we live, the story also became a lightning rod for the many feelings and emotions people have about crime and police and race.

Many black Americans and others will continue to believe that black Americans are much more likely to be assumed to be wrongdoers in such situations. Even if the fleeing suspects had been identified as white, I, a white man, do not believe that I would have been handcuffed in these circumstances--especially were I wearing full eucharistic vestments, as was the priest involved, Ronald D. Culmer.

However, there are two aspects to this story that tended to get lost: the fact that the police and the community were able to sit down and resolve this issue, and the mutual agreement among us of the need for better community policing.

Coming to a positive resolution was no small feat in a time when people are perhaps all too ready to see issues largely in terms of confrontation. This is largely due to the Rev. Mr. Culmer, who spoke for the need for forgiveness, reconciliation and constructive action, and the police officials, who issued an apology to him and spoke in similar terms. All are to be commended.

St. Martin’s church and school, where this incident took place, are on a prominent and busy intersection in Canoga Park. The hope is that in the future police officers in the area will have a better knowledge and awareness of such institutions and that they will know the pastor of the church and school.

Which brings us to community policing, the kind of policing for which the post-riots Christopher Commission called. It is the kind of involvement that will improve relations and cooperation all around and has the potential to help reduce criminal behavior. Police may continue to feel too understaffed to offer more of this presence in the community, but if the image--whether fair or unfair--of police being mostly in station houses or squad cars who respond only when crimes are in progress is to be overcome, we need to work together to make community policing more of a reality.

This is a two-way street. We have asked that church and clergy members be represented on the West Valley Police Advisory Board and on a revitalized Valley Police-Clergy Assn. Citizens need to give the time and energy to meet and give counsel to help make our area safer and more friendly. It gives us an opportunity as well to commend and support the police in the good work they do on our behalf. This way we may turn misadventure and misunderstanding into new understanding and a better community.