This week in the Renton Reporter, we are wrapping up a three-part series from reporter Tracey Compton titled “Can Ferguson Happen Here?” and I think it’s been an insightful look at a difficult topic.

I know I have learned something in every segment we’ve published and I think that’s exactly what you hope when taking on a topic of this magnitude.

We did not approach this topic lightly, nor did we want to just gloss past it. We also did not want to accuse the Renton Police Department – by all accounts an excellent department that does a good job in both protecting their community and protecting the rights of the people in their community – of being something they are not.

Let’s just say it here for the record: We have not received any complaints about the department or gotten any sense that the RPD is anything less than a top-shelf organization. We are not trying to pick a fight or manufacture a crisis where there is not one.

But because of the larger discussions occurring on a national level about race and police relations, we felt it was our duty as a newspaper, as a place designed to reflect the community and to encourage discussion within it, to simply ask the question. Which is what we did.

We went into the story with no preconceived notions or expectations and began very simply just asking the police directly “Can Ferguson Happen Here?” Then we went to several community leaders and asked the same question, following up to get their perception of treatment by police.

Finally, this week, we went back to the police guild and asked them to respond to the community concerns we came across in part two, as well as asked how they are trying to fix the perceptions – and misperceptions – held by some of the very people they are out protecting everyday.

Because, honestly, we all know police work is a difficult job that can be dangerous. Even in small cities like ours, anything can happen, anything can go wrong and there is always the possibility that the man or woman who puts on a badge and gun in the morning may not make it home that night.

We absolutely respect that choice and are thankful for the men and women who make it.

And yet, all across the country, members of the community that police officers are there to protect do not see them as such. They do not perceive police officers as there to help, but instead as a threat.

That’s not good.

And we wondered why. We wondered how it had come to this, to a place where the folks willing to die to protect us were perceived as the threat. If I were a police officer, I would want to know how I had lost that trust and what I could do to get it back.

And I don’t know the answer to that question. Even after these three weeks of excellent reporting from Ms. Compton, there is no easy answer. But I think we have learned some interesting things each week that can help us all in these matters.

First, in the opening article, we learned that the use-of-force by the Renton Police Department is actually way down in recent years. I found that encouraging, especially in the wake of national news that seems to show the opposite.

I think that’s important. The use-of-force in Renton is down to a 10-year low, according to the department. One of the major reasons was a change in policy and training philosophy that teaches officer to only draw and point their weapons if they intend to use them. In the past, that was not always the case and since pointing a weapon is considered a use-of-force, simply training officers to not draw first reduced the numbers.

Not to mention that the less your police force points their guns at people, the better. I don’t care whose side you say you are on, if you are pointing a weapon at me, you are not my friend.

That change in training is absolutely a positive step by the RPD. They should be commended for that.

I personally found part two of the series very enlightening, primarily because it challenged my “white privilege” without ever using the phrase, revealing that for many in the community, the Thin Blue Line does not bring security but worry.

That’s not really something I face and a perspective that is at times confusing but 100 percent real and valid.

As a white male, my perception of police is very different from some of the men interviewed. It was stunning to see just how much at times.

But at the same time, I thought it was great to see that everyone seemed to trust Officer Jeff Reynolds, the school resource officer at Renton High School and I thought the reasons WHY they trusted him showed the way to solving the issues in our city and potentially nationwide: The students trust him because he is part of their lives.

The students and community leaders told us that Reynolds has credibility with them because he is “part of” the community instead of only showing up when things were bad. It was the pro-activity on his part, on being around and taking an interest, that led the students to trust him, even when they don’t trust other officers.

I think that’s really important and I think it shows the way: more direct contact and involvement leads to better perception of police.

When the police learn the names of the people they serve and the community learns the names of those who serve them, they are less likely to blame each other for things and to be more understanding of each other in general.

The community also would like the makeup of the Police Department to more accurately reflect the makeup of the community as a whole, as a way for the minority members of the community to see themselves in the faces of those protecting them.

I will be honest, I think the administration and the City Council get that. I think Chief Milosevich gets that and I think most of members of the department get that.

Unfortunately, reading this week’s piece, I felt the disconnect again, specifically in the answers from Guild President Mark Coleman.

I am afraid he does not come off very well in the story and that is because he doesn’t appear to be answering the questions we asked.

When we asked him about how to change perceptions of mistrust of police within the community, Coleman blew off the question, instead citing 70,000 calls that he says must mean the people trust the police.

Unfortunately, we learned last week that is not necessarily the case and, more to the point, was not what we asked him. Telling us there is no problem is not the way to solve the problem of mistrust.

Indeed, most of his answers seem to come from the idea of police protecting police, instead of the members of the community, somewhat understandable given his role, but not what we were getting at.

But he also speaks of the diversity in the department in terms we don’t see, using the phrase “very diverse.” But that hardly seems accurate as well.

The RPD is 82 percent white in a city that according to the last census was only 55.5 percent so. Now, that’s not necessarily a problem, but 82 percent of ANY single ethnicity is by very definition NOT “very diverse.”

On top of that, when asked about the department’s diversity, the guild president always says that no matter the diversity and makeup of the force, the department will be a brotherhood that looks out for each other and will value the diversity in the community.

That’s great – and I believe him – but it kind of misses the point. The point is to protect and serve the public, not the force. And while I (honestly) do not doubt that the police in this town value the diversity and apply the law evenly no matter, the issue is one about PERCEPTION and Mr. Coleman’s answers, I’m afraid, do not even attempt to address that.

I am willing to chalk it up to a defensive posture, however. This is a tough,  tough topic and even asking the questions sometimes feels accusatory – though never our intention – and I understand getting into a defensive position, especially if one perceives he is about to have his life’s work questioned or feels he is about to have their professionalism challenged.

But at the same time, that is also the way several African-American members of our community described any interaction with the police.

Which is why we need to have these discussions and why I am very proud that Ms. Compton took on this topic.

I hope you found it as interesting as we did. Please let us know what you think. We’d love to hear your views on the topic and on the series.

Je suis Charlie

One more thing:

On Jan. 7, two masked gunman forced their way into the offices of satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris, France. They opened fire, killing 12 journalists and wounding 11 others.

While claiming to be “Muslims,” I think it is quite obvious that these people are simply thugs and bullies attempting to hide behind a religion of peace, like when homegrown terrorists kill abortion doctors while claiming to be “Christian.”

Put simply, this was an attack on free speech and free expression. It was an attempt to scare people into shutting up, into not challenging bad ideas and false prophets.

It must not be allowed to stand.

We here at the Renton Reporter do not have access to the comics and covers that sparked this event and normally would not publish anything like them anyway. The comics were not our style and at times they get a bit pointed.

That said, now I would run it in a second, simply to prove that we can and we should and we will not give into fear.

Journalists are the front line of freedom in the world. Every nation has doctors, teachers and an army, but the truth is that only a nation with a free press is truly free.

And we must never be scared into silence by thugs.

Je suis Charlie.