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Keeping the Peace

The Reading Police Department & Community Outreach
By: Frankie Lee Graham Jr. & Joshua Fasig

I.

The Reading Police Departments Mental Health

Introduction
"Policing is a psychologically stressful work environment filled with danger, high demands, and
ambiguity in work encounters, human misery and exposure to death," said Violanti, a 23-year
veteran of the New York State Police. (University at Buffalo, 2008)
Policing is hazardous work, and the threats waits not on the streets alone. The burdens of law
enforcement put Police Officers at risk for high blood pressure, insomnia, better levels of
disparaging stress hormones, heart problems, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and suicide,
University at Buffalo scholars have found through a span of studies of Police Officers. The
University at Buffalo scholars are currently carrying out one of the first comprehensive
examinations on how the strain of police work affects a Police Officer's physical and mental health,
financed by a $1.75 million contribution from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and
Health (NIOSH). The National Institute of Justice contributed $750,000 to measure Police Officer
fatigue and the effect of shift work on overall health and performance. (University at Buffalo,
2008)
Dr. John M. Violanti, a research professor in the University at Buffalo's Department of Social and
Preventive Medicine in the School of Public Health and Health Professions, is the chief scholar of
the study, named the Buffalo Cardio-Metabolic Occupational Police Stress (BCOPS) study. More

than 400 police officers have partaken in the study to date, with the scholars targeting for 500. The
clinical investigation contains surveys on lifestyle and psychological aspects such as depression
and PTSD, in addition to measurements of bone thickness and body configuration, ultrasounds of
brachial and carotid arteries, salivary cortisol samples and blood samples. Results from Violanti's
trial studies have shown, among other results, that Police Officers over the age 40 had a higher ten
year risk of a heart attack compared to average national standards; 72% of female Police Officers
and 43% of male Police Officers, had higher-than-recommended cholesterol levels; and Police

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Officers as a group had higher-than-average pulse rates and diastolic blood pressure. (University
at Buffalo, 2008)

Mental Health
In the career field of law enforcement there is two parts. In the first part, there are concerns
encountered by Police Officers living with mental ailments. In the second part, there is the issue
of law enforcement's sympathetic of individuals living with mental illness inside the populations
they attend. The collective attitude are mental health stigma and a deficiency of knowledge in
respect to mental ailments. There was an event in New York some time ago where a man existing
with mental ailment, standing perilously on a ledge in what was alleged as dangerous conduct. A
special unit responded and made what they assumed was a respectable choice, tasering the man to
mollify him. The man fell to his death. Days later, the Police Officer in control of the special unit
committed suicide. This is a shocking, but appropriate instance of the effect of stigma. Had
everyone involved, known more about mental ailment, this double misfortune could very well have
been stopped. (NJ Governor's Council on Mental Health Stigma, 2008)

Fear to Disclose
Police Officer sometimes feel they cannot reveal their mental illness for dread of unemployment.
The stigma and significances of mental ailments evident correspondingly in both the military and
law enforcement, giving penalties that are habitually occupation termination. The level of risk,
danger, and related strain integral to their line of work, Police Officers face an astonishingly high
likelihood of developing post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as other mental ailments. It is vital
to have Keeping the Peace in place to embrace mental health and construct a safe environment for
addressing mental ailments directly. Regrettably, stigma and lack of empathy can produce an ethos
of concealment and renunciation, with Police Officers seldom revealing the presence of a mental
ailment and consequently not pursuing suitable treatment. This deficiency of treatment allows a
disorder to exacerbate, eventually endangering not only careers, but personal lives as well. (NJ
Governor's Council on Mental Health Stigma, 2008)

Overcoming Stigma
To overcome interior stigma, Police Officers must retain an empathy of how to tactfully talk to
individuals living with mental ailments when dealing with the community at large. Preferably,
there should be a general reaction policy for Police Officers interacting with individuals with
mental ailments. Finally, partnerships amongst the Reading Police Department and the mental
health community are vital. According to an observation by Dr. Marilyn Price for the Journal of
American Academy of Psychiatry: "Police are usually the first and often the only community
resource called on to respond to crisis situations involving persons with mental illness and have
been termed 'de facto' mental health providers. Officers are expected to act as the primary
gatekeepers for the criminal justice and mental health systems. They must either recognize an
individual's need for treatment and divert that person to an appropriate mental health facility or
make the determination that the individual's illegal activity is the primary concern and that the
person should be arrested. The task is typically accomplished with little training." (NJ Governor's
Council on Mental Health Stigma, 2008)

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Strain from Duty

The strain of a career in law enforcement can be extreme. Today's Police Officers deal with
concerns beyond the community, containing but not restricted to the hazard of worldwide terrorism
striking home, raising anxiety levels to a different elevation. There is no way to foresee which
Police Officers will cultivate mental ailments, predominantly when it comes to post traumatic
stress disorder, when the start is often subtle in nature and can present months after a stressful
episode. Indications can array from irritability and over-vigilance to extreme irritation toward
family, friends, and coworkers. Attentiveness and prompt treatment of this condition can make an
intense impact on a Police Officer's future. In New Jersey a Police Suicide Prevention Task Force
addressed the severe issue of suicide in law enforcement. The Council has braced this effort with
a novel campaign: Tough Cops Ask for Help - Don't Remain Silent, Don't let Stigma Stand in Your
Way. (NJ Governor's Council on Mental Health Stigma, 2008)

Recognition & Empathy

Recognizing and empathizing symptoms is important when connecting to those in the community
living with mental ailments. In some events, an individual might misinterpret or be unable to
follow police commands because of signs that might be bestowing. When a Police Officer is not
trained to identify mental ailments, he or she might misunderstand symptoms and react inaptly.
Lack of empathizing can result in a person facing excessive hostility and imprisonment. When the
police department partners with the mental health organizations for education and training, they
can contest stigma and save lives through admiration and empathy. (NJ Governor's Council on
Mental Health Stigma, 2008)

Conclusion
Policing is hazardous work, and the threats waits not on the streets alone. The burdens of law
enforcement put officers at risk for high blood pressure, insomnia, better levels of disparaging
stress hormones, heart problems, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and suicide. Police Officer
should be evaluated a minimum of once a months for a one hour counseling session, and possibly
more depending on the Police Officers need for help. That is why Keeping the Peace was created
to help the Reading Police Department carry out its duties to serve and protect the citizens of
Reading, Pennsylvania. Keeping the Peace is an organization which sternly standbys the Reading
Police Department, to ensure Police Officers are mentally stable and ready to be on duty. It is the
goal of Keeping the Peace, to ensure all Police Officers are able to make quick and rational
decisions, preserving life, sustaining the overall safety of all parties involved in any dispute.
Keeping the Peace is available to provide Police Officers services in person and over the phone.
For more information about Keeping the Peace, visiting the following link:
http://frankiegrahamjr.wix.com/keepingthepeace

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II. The Importance of the Reading Police Departments

Community Outreach
Introduction
There are numerous explanations why the Reading Police Department have a difficult relations
with the community it is supposed to serve and protect. Many of these stem from the element
that overall, the Police Department has contrasting perspectives, poor communications, and
concerns about the nature of social control in a free society (Radalet and Carter, 1994, p. 7).
The Reading Police Department deals with the community on several levels: individually, as an
assembly/association, and as governmental players. When it seems that the Reading Police
Department exemplifies the welfare of the community in which they police, there is universal
synchronization. When Police Department is out of sync with these sentiments, there is
dissatisfaction and disagreement. Also, keep in mind that Different community groups view the
police differently and have varying notions of the priorities and objectives of law enforcement and
criminal justice (Cordner and Scarborough, 2007). Also, difficulty at one level of the
communication can have consequences at another. (Emergence of the Problem of Poor Police
Community Relations, Accessed 2015)

Community Service
Community service refers to the actions whereby The Reading Police Department would engage
in community events to improve the comfort the citizens of Reading beyond law enforcement and
order maintenance. (A great example of this was the Reading Police Athletic League.) Community
service can offer a public relations advantages. Often, the words and terminologies public relations
and community relations are used interchangeably. In actuality, there is a dissimilarity amid the
two. Though public relations for the Reading Police Department can be defined as a community
relations program seen as a long-range, full scale effort to acquaint the police and the community
with each others problems and to stimulate action aimed at solving those problems (Radalet and
Carter, 1994, p. 31). (Emergence of the Problem of Poor PoliceCommunity Relations, Accessed
2015)

Community Participation
The City of Reading needs the people to take an active role in trying to genuinely help the Reading
Police Department. In the book title, Emergence of the Problem of Poor PoliceCommunity
Relations, it sited the following: It is the widely used social work concept of community
organization, with particular attention to the pivotal responsibility of the police and other criminal
justice agencies (Radalet and Carter, 1994, p. 34). In the end policecommunity relations is a
process where the entire Police Department (not a specialized unit) is engaged with the
communities they serve in order to make it a safe and better place to live (Radalet and Carter,
1994, p. 32). (Emergence of the Problem of Poor PoliceCommunity Relations, Accessed 2015)

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Importance of Police OfficersCommunity Relations

When there is good Police OfficersCommunity Relations, Police Officers have a better
appreciative of the publics concerns, and Citizens are more motivated to report criminalities that
ensue to Police Officers, offer tips/intelligence to Police Officers, freely oblige as witnesses, and
are content to partake in jury trials. By extension, Police Officers also become more preemptive,
thereby averting crimes before they occur or lessening their impact, instead of simply responding
to calls for service. Good Police OfficerCommunity Relations avert the possibility that the public
considers Police Officers are simply an instrument for intelligence assortment. When there are
poor Police OfficerCommunity Relations, the police typically lack a simple empathy of
community problems, goals, and desires, and the community, predominantly those citizens who
are experiencing high proportions of crime, poverty, and homelessness, identify Police Officers as
an occupying and out-of-touch force that does more harm than good. In these circumstances, Police
Departments mainly accept a reactive mode of reaction to community problems. In sum, Police
OfficerCommunity Relations refers to the ongoing and changing relationship between the
Reading Police Department and the Citizens of Reading, PA they serve. This includes issues of
cooperation, race relations, fear of Police Officers, violence, and corruption. (Emergence of the
Problem of Poor PoliceCommunity Relations, Accessed 2015)

Conclusion
There are numerous explanations why the Reading Police Department have a difficult relations
with the community it is supposed to serve and protect. Many of these stem from the element
that overall, the Reading Police Department has contrasting perspectives, poor communications,
and concerns about the nature of social control in a free society (Radalet and Carter, 1994, p. 7).
The City of Reading needs the people to take an active role in trying to genuinely help the Reading
Police Department. In order for people to want to help the Reading Police Department, Police
Officers need to take an active role in the community. Keeping the Peace suggests Reading Police
Officers volunteer in Ronald Rouses Police Cadets of Reading Program. In the meantime, the
Reading Police Department should try to find a ways to have open communication with the people
of Reading, in the direction a trustful and respectful relationship can be developed.

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III. RESTORING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN

COMMUNITY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT
Introduction
Over the past few years relationship between community and law enforcement has become a
concerning issue. Trust in law enforcement has been reduced and continues to be threatened daily.
For a city to be successful in cutting crime and reducing victimizations it is essential to have a
balanced relationship between law enforcement and the constituents they are sworn to protect. In
this section we will establish new programs to help reestablish the trust and connection. The
ultimate goal is to use the repaired relations to help combat the currently facing the city of Reading.
Sadly, communicating with multiple ethnic families in Reading, it is defiantly noticeable that the
relations to Law enforcement is nonexistent. Families do not respect, trust or have a desire to
reestablish the trust factor with the Reading Police Department. Majority of the families I talk to
seem to have an atomicity towards the department. Whether they were victimized without being
given proper restitution, or victimized by the members of the police force themselves. Joshua Fasig
(Citizen of Reading) studied constitutional law for the last four years and after speaking to these
families, discovered a similar factor from those victimized by the police department, they were all
denied their constitutional rights. Whether it was arrested without cause, forcibly removed from
their residence, or victims of illegal search and seizures. These actions of the police department
are the one reason why residents feel the relationship is unrepairable. However, with proper
programs and initiatives the relationship can be repaired and trust rebuilt. The fact is the police
department needs to give back to the community.

Monthly & Annual Community Events

Monthly community events are essential for the community to talk to the members of the force,
Chief of Police, Berks County Sheriff and Deputies and Mayor of the City of Reading as well as
the President of City Council. These events gives the opportunity for the community to have fun,
express their appreciation and reestablish the broken connection. This is sponsored by multiple
business and venues throughout the city. The sponsors are allowed to post advertisements and
provide vendors. The events will always be fun, exciting and geared to allow the constituents look
beyond the badge. The annual event is a huge celebration at City Park and consists of multiple
events geared to team up the police department with members of the community.
Annual Event: Party at City Park: 4th of July
Event One: Celebration Walk from Rocking Plaza to City Park via 13th Street Members of Police
Force, Chief of Police, Reading Fire Department, Members of City Counsel, Mayor of Reading,
Reading High Marching Band, Olivets Boys and Girls Club, any willing citizens of Reading.
Event Two: Police vs. Reading High Softball vs. Reading Police Department Softball Game
Sponsored by Santander Center & Other Local Businesses

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Event Three: Reading Children & Police Department Relay Race around the Amphitheater with
Mcgruff and Members of Fightin Phils & Reading Royal Mascots
Event Four: Dunk the Chief of Police and Mayor of Reading: Free to everyone (including Police
Department)
Event Five: Autograph signing Fightin Phils & Reading Royals
Event Six: Empanada Eating Contest: National & Regional Candidates (Reading would be the first
to host one) Excellent media presence
Event Seven: Fireworks Show sponsored by businesses and Police Department
Games and vendors available all day

Monthly (Annual) Events (Subject to Change)

January: Reading American Idol hosted in Santander Center. All members of the Community and
Reading Police Department. Judges announced subject to change. Winner gets 10,000 dollars, and
championship belt they take home until the following year. Where they are forced to forfeit or
defend their title. Members of Community welcomed. All day event 10am -10pm
February: Iron Chef Reading Restaurant Chefs and Any members of the Reading Police
Department. Judges subject to change, attempt to get known foodies and food journalists. Six hour
event
March: Dancing With the Police Female Members of the community pair up with a member of the
Police Department for a dancing competition similar to dancing with the stars. The competition
winners receive trophy and 5,000 dollars sponsored by business in the community. Judges
members of the dancing and stage community. Event held at Santander Center. Five Hour Event
April: 15,000 Egg Hunt at Pandora Park for children ages 1-15. Sponsored by Reading Police and
Juvenile Department. Prizes, games and visitation from the Easter bunny.
May: Free Fightin Phils Baseball Game Sponsored by Local Businesses and Reading Police
Department. Fireworks at the end of the game. Night Event
June: Downhill Soap box race from 13th and Spring to Spring Street Bridge any members of the
community and Police Department may participate. Prizes sponsored by local businesses, vendors
available at Hampton Blvd. Park. All day event ages from 7-18.
July: Party in the Park (Annual)
August: City Park Carnival sponsored by local businesses. All day Event
September: Police Department and local businesses provide school supplies to students in the
community. Essay contest top 5 essays receive Brand new MacBook Pro and essay published the
Reading Eagle, top twenty receive 100 dollar gift certificates to staples and or office max. All
prizes sponsored by local businesses & Corporations. Three Hour Event

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October: Free Reading Royals game. As well as each visitors receive support Reading Police
Department T-shirts. Nightly Event
November: Annual Q& A with Police Department, City Council and Mayor of Reading. This event
is used so members of the community may voice their concerns, police department can express
their visions for the next year. This is an open town hall meeting located in Reading High
Auditorium. This event is used to show the direction the police department is heading, new
initiatives from the mayor and the ultimately allow members of the community to be part of the
vision.
December: Christmas Charity, the Police Department visit nursing homes, prepare breakfast for
those less fortunate and provide presents for needed family members. The presents and food shall
be sponsored by Reading Police Department and local business. The event will be held at the
Reading High Cafeteria. Breakfast will be served cafeteria style and Santa Clause will be present
to talk and give presents to the children.
These events are aimed to go beyond the badge. The community will be able to have fun and get
to those of the police force. The police force are able to understand their constituents and ultimately
in alters the relationships and repairs the communication between community and law
enforcement. The programs do not have to be costly, if each of the businesses will be willing to
sponsor the events. Majority of the events are family orientated. The goal is to go beyond the
badge.

Sources:
State of New Jersey Governors Council on Mental Health Stigma, 2008.
Emergence of the Problem of Poor PoliceCommunity Relations, Accessed 2015.
University at Buffalo, Impact Of Stress On Police Officers' Physical And Mental Health, 2008.