Police chief candidates take questions from citizens

Posted to Police Beat by Josh Barone at 12:48 a.m., Jan. 13, 2009

The four remaining candidates for Columbia’s police chief answered one-on-one questions with community members at a reception on Monday.

Located at the Activities and Recreation Center, the reception allowed concerned citizens to speak directly with each candidate following an open media session that lasted from 1:15-4 p.m.

The four candidates are: Police Chief Kenneth M. Burton of Haltom City, Texas; Police Chief Wayne I. McCoy, Blue Springs; and Todd A. Miller, most recently police chief at Terrell, Texas; and Police Maj. Christine L. Laughlin, Kansas City.

Questions about citizen oversight and the use of Tasers came up the most often.

Miller said citizen oversight is important for the police department’s accountability.

“You’ve gotta be open and honest with people if you make a mistake,” he said. “I want people to be involved with the police agency.  We need to work together.”

McCoy said a good police department works with the community.

“Government today is becoming more and more open,” he said. “People need to come in and spend time with us to make a better community.”

Laughlin, the only candidate who has not yet been a police chief, said the reception is a good step in that direction.

“It’s a good partnership with the community,” she said. “You’ve gotta address their concerns.”

While he supports the use of citizen oversight, Burton said the issue is the city’s decision, not the police chief’s.

Burton was surprised and pleased by the large amount of people in attendance at the reception.

“I am delighted there are this many here,” Burton said. “It’s an indicator that citizens here are involved.”

Among those involved citizens was a group of people informally referring to themselves as the Coalition to Control Tasers. They asked each candidate what they plan to do about that issue.

All four candidates agreed Tasers, when used correctly and appropriately, can be a very useful tool.

The issue, Laughlin said, is clarifying when it is appropriate to use one and how often. She is not familiar with Columbia’s Taser policy, but she shared her policy from Kansas City.

Members of the Coalition to Control Tasers urged candidates to change Columbia’s Taser policy if hired.

“The police can lose credibility if they are frivolously using Tasers for compliance,” Ed Berg, a local attorney and member of the coalition, said.

McCoy said Tasers could be safe with proper training.

“A Taser is a tool that, when used properly, can be a very valuable tool,” he said.

After this week, the amount of candidates will be narrowed down to two. Currently, there is no timeline for when someone will be hired.