LIMA — While the community policing initiative is commonly associated with the four active substations located throughout the city, they do not encompass the entire program, according to Lima Police Chief Kevin Martin.
Speaking about the program Monday at a Lima Rotary Club meeting, Martin said the program is more of a lifestyle designed to permeate the department.
“The substations in and of themselves is not community policing, but that’s one part of the overall policing strategy,” he said. “It really needs to be a philosophy that’s embraced by the entire community.”
That philosophy involves greater community engagement with law enforcement and better relationships, a goal that can be difficult to measure quantitatively, Martin said. However, he also said that notable progress is being made
“We are starting to see a difference, and some of that can possibly be seen in that crime numbers are coming down again,” he said. “Some of it can be seen in the general, overall attitude in the community. One example of that is the Coffee with a Cop that was held this past Saturday. It was one of, if not the, best attended event of that type so far.”
This effort is especially needed in reaching area youth, especially in light of the recent shooting death of 16-year-old Dasmine Omosikeji.
“That’s where we’re going to get the longest-term return on investment,” he said. “The time we spend with young people will bring us benefits as a community maybe 50 years from now.”
While the program and its substations do come with a cost in resources and personnel, the cost can be well worth it if it prevents the financial and human costs that come with crime.
“We recently had a very tragic homicide involving a young person,” he said. “It’s not just the person who’s dead that suffers from that, but also the family and everyone who cares about him. They’ll forever be sentenced to a life without someone they loved. And when you look at the people responsible, they go to prison, and that not only takes a toll on their lives, but it takes a toll on everyone who cares about them.”
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