The law enforcement community and the nation continues to mourn the lives of officers lost in last week’s attacks in Dallas as tensions rise around the country due to protests of police-involved shootings involving African Americans.
Pella Police Chief Robert Bokinsky tells KNIA/KRLS News there are various factors that have caused a tense relationship in many communities with minorities and law enforcement, which he’s witnessed at times in his over three decades as an officer in Ocean City, MD and Pella.
“It’s not a black problem, it’s not a white problem–it’s my belief it’s what’s happening in the home,” Bokinsky says.
Chief Bokinsky says the recent killing of Philando Castile in Minnesota during a traffic stop reflects the life-and-death decisions officers have to make in a matter of moments.
“Until you’re in that position–under the stress, and under the emotion of that moment, you can’t appreciate what goes into that, because that is a decision that has to be within an instant, and if you’re slow to make that decision, but yet if you make the wrong decision, you’re going to have to carry that burden with you for the rest of your life,” he says.
Bokinsky believes the hiring process–which the Pella PD is going through now, plays a pivotal role in helping to prevent officers with poor judgment from ever reaching the streets.
“I think the hiring decision is one of the most important decisions I will ever make as a chief of Police, and I know a number of people have heard me say it has the potential to be a 25-year mistake for a department and a community, and it’s a responsibility I take seriously,” he says. “We take a lot of time and effort in our selection process.”
He feels the killings of the Dallas police officers was an avoidable tragedy, and he joins police around the country in mourning their losses.
Hear more about Bokinsky’s reaction to the Dallas police killings and officer-involved shootings around the country on In-Depth with Dr. Bob Leonard.