Issues of racial tension and the apparent use of excessive force by police may be making news elsewhere, but those reflecting on these issues closer to home offer cautionary advice to keep lines of communications open.

Local police experience

Police departments in the county do not cite any issues of racial tension or use of force.

The Butler police have a use of force policy that follows federal regulations, according to Deputy Chief David Adam, but that policy is not available for public view.

City police are given annual updates on their use of force training, Adam said, and he has not heard any complaints about excessive force.

While the city police do not have any black or Hispanic officers, Adam said he has not perceived any community distrust or fear of racial bias.

“I don't believe that we've had any issues that would have anything to do with racially biased decisions or anything of that nature,” he said.

In Cranberry Township, there have been few instances of using force, said Chief Kevin Meyer.

The department has used its Tasers fewer than five times in about 10 years, Meyer said, and the police have never used a firearm in more than 30 years, according to Jerry Andree, the Cranberry Township manager.

Andree said this speaks to Cranberry police's ability to de-escalate situations, and Meyer agreed that de-escalation is a priority.

“The last thing that an officer wants to do is use any type of force on anybody,” Meyer said.

Both Andree and Meyer said there is virtually no community distrust of the police.

“We work really hard to have a good working relationship (between) the police and the community,” Andree said. “There's no barriers or walls between our community and our police department.”

In addition, the Cranberry police encourage thinking about diversity and inclusivity, Andree said.

“We have a very significant approach to diversity,” he said. “We're constantly breaking down barriers to talking about these things. The community as a whole does not tolerate (intolerance), and the community would respond very significantly against any type of bias.”

The Butler Township Police Department has not received criticism either, but the department will always listen, according to Chief John Hays.

“Our department is open to conversations,” Hays said. “I'm open to listening to complaints from any of our residents, if it be an officer or any issue they have.”

The township police also follow the mandated annual training updates, Hays said. The department has a policy on the use of force, but that is not available to the public.

In Hays' experience, racial policing is not an issue in the Butler area, he said.

“We don't have the issue we have in the bigger cities at this point ... but that could change,” he said.

Adam agreed: “Our area doesn't seem to have those hot topic buttons at this particular time. That doesn't mean that couldn't change in a flash.”

Another View

While police don't see racial tension in their communities, some African Americans and their supporters say there are cases of racism that impact how safe they feel in their own communities.

“Often racial tensions are just below the surface,” said Thomas Gaither, a retired professor from Slippery Rock University and part of the Friendship Nine, a group of activists from the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. He lives in Prospect.

“We often get ourselves in a false sense of security that there are no racial tensions. There's no question in my mind that there's racism locally. I think there's no place in society, if we are honest, where there is not racism.”

Veda Holland, the pastor at Mount Olive Baptist Church in Grove City, has experienced racism firsthand, so even though racial policing may not be an issue, there still are racial prejudices.

There are numerous Confederate flags posted in her area, she said, making her think twice about her safety as a black woman.

“When I drive and see a Confederate flag, other people might not have the same reaction to that,” she said. “You think about 'do (they) really understand the depth of what (that flag) means?'”

Gaither admitted being cautious.

“I do (feel vulnerable and isolated). I try to make sure that I'm on the right side of the law, that I'm being a person of compassion and reason,” he said.

Because the black population in the county is small — the U.S. Census Bureau pegged it at about 2,400 in 2015 — a person of color may feel more vulnerable, which Gaither and Holland both said.

“You certainly would feel more at risk,” she said. “You stand out more ... I think you feel somewhat vulnerable because you are more clearly the minority. You kind of internalize what you think might be happening socially in the minds of other people.”

Oddly enough, that small number may contribute to the fact that racial policing is not an issue, Gaither said.

“In the larger dynamic of our society, a small number of people of color or any ethnicity is not viewed as the same as the larger number of people of color,” he said. “It's not viewed as a threat. You can accept one or two but once you get past a certain number, the dynamic changes.”

David Champion, a professor of criminology at Slippery Rock University, said that the vulnerable feeling is a valid, understandable reaction for the black community.

“I can certainly see why they would feel more at-risk,” he said. “If anybody is a relatively law-abiding citizen and all of the agents of social control seem to be very different from you in terms of race, there's no human connection ... That could certainly cause distrust.”

Training officers on cultural diversity — along with de-escalation — is a key to improved policing, said Dennis Rickard, a criminology professor at the Butler County Community College and former county sheriff.

“By understanding the culture, we understand again what we're getting into,” Rickard said. “You have to be aware that people react differently. You have to teach different cultures and how to react to them.”

Beyond training, both police officers and community members must humanize each other, Champion said.

“A lot of these incidents happen because of dehumanization of the target,” Champion said. “Sometimes police dehumanize the community they serve. Sometimes the community dehumanizes the police ... that's not helpful either. It's going to be a long process to get there. It has to happen at the local level, through individual human interactions through police and citizens to restore trust or build trust where there never was any.”