Community matters.
When a tragic event takes place in a community, individuals draw together to remember, to grieve and to move forward. An indelible mark divides life into “before” and “after” even when physical scars no longer remain.
Clinton has faced its share of these events, from the 1947 fireworks plant explosion that took 12 lives to the Poague Building explosion and fire in 1972 that killed five to the Elks Lodge collapse in 2006 when one perished and nine were trapped for hours.
Each generation marks time by these tragedies. For many of today’s Clinton residents, the shooting deaths of two police officers in the line of duty within a handful of months create the dividing line.
On August 6, 2017, Clinton police officer Gary Michael Jr. was gunned down during a traffic stop. Seven months to the day, on March 6, 2018, Clinton police officer Ryan Morton lost his life when he was shot during a confrontation with a suspect. The suspect also shot two other officers before the standoff ended.
Now, seven years later, a question: How has community policing changed locally in light of these events?
The answer, almost surprisingly, is positive.
“I still see faded paper flags with blue stripes hanging in people’s windows,” said Sgt. Kameren Huffman, a detective with the Clinton Police Department. He is referring to the “back the blue” flags that, at least locally, represent support for law enforcement.
“We built and have maintained a level of trust with the community and kept that connection,” Sgt. Huffman said. “You have to have top-down buy in for positive community interaction, and not just on calls. We are strongly encouraged and supported to make non-enforcement contacts.
“People call and report crimes before the crime reports are even filed,” he said. “We’re trusted to handle the situation, which allows us to do our job better.”
Sgt. Huffman said he has even been thanked after he’s made an arrest by the suspect because he took extra time to communicate clearly and positively.
Retired Henry County Sheriff Kent Oberkrom agrees that support for law enforcement remains strong, especially in rural Missouri. He encouraged his deputies to treat the public well and not to do anything to lose that support.
“Avoid problems and you don’t have to fix them,” he said.
Both men say that doesn’t mean policing hasn’t changed, noting that training and equipment have become more important than ever.
“Training is more frequent and focused,” Oberkrom said. “We don’t want to be complacent, but we also don’t want to be unfriendly.”
For the Henry County Sheriff’s Department, equipment changes took place almost immediately after Officer Michael’s death. Although bulletproof vests had been standard for quite some time, Oberkrom said new outer vests designed to help officers better carry their equipment were waiting on tables to be distributed when the shooting happened.
“We decided to wait 10 days before the deputies began to wear them, and I communicated with the public about the new gear ahead of time,” he said.
Oberkrom added the actual goal of the vests is to move weight from the belt – such as handcuffs, baton and taser – onto the shoulders.
“Physically it’s healthier,” he said.
The department also added body cameras in 2018 to protect the public as well as the officers in the event of conduct complaints. In addition, “stop the bleed” medical kits were added after the shooting of Office Morton.
Aaron Brown, the new Henry County Sheriff, said training and additional equipment also are important goals for him moving forward. He said that drones, license plate readers and databases that use artificial intelligence will help deputies be more effective.
Although the Clinton Police Department doesn’t use body cams due to cost, Sgt. Huffman said a myriad of other changes have occurred.
“We believe in training, and not just training that keeps us alive,” he said. “Training keeps us safe and keeps citizens safe.”
As examples, he said he is a de-escalation instructor and teaches other officers how to “talk someone into handcuffs” using the least amount of force possible. Another officer teaches defense tactics.
“Training was happening prior to the officer shootings but has increased. The city council and city administrator provide the funding for the training,” he said. “The city invests in its employees. We’re well-trained, well-equipped and appreciated.”
Sgt. Huffman explained that in a moment of crisis or conflict, officers revert to their base level of training.
“We want that level to be above and beyond what’s expected of us,” he said.
Other changes for the Clinton Police Department include medical equipment training through the Henry County Health Department and heavy duty rifle-rated shields, rifles and shotguns in every vehicle.
A scheduling change from a 10-hour shift to a 12-hour shift has increased the number of officers available at any given moment. The result is improved officer safety and faster response time, Sgt. Huffman said.
Sheriff Brown and Sgt. Huffman both grew up in the area although the road back to Clinton was not clear cut in the beginning.
Sheriff Brown, who has worked in law enforcement for 14 years, began as an Explorer with the Henry County Sheriff’s Department and then worked for the department while he attended the University of Central Missouri. From there he moved to the Johnson County Sheriff’s Department.
“This is why I wanted to come back, because of how law enforcement is treated here,” he said. “Community support doesn’t waver. It can be harder to connect in a larger community.”
Sgt. Huffman has spent the past six years in Clinton but didn’t intend to return here. He was in the police academy when the second shooting took place. He has known Nathan Bettencourt, one of the officers injured at the time, for most of his life, and the friendship made him return home.
“Larger departments have divisions or officers to handle community policing. In Clinton, every officer is a community officer,” he said.
He especially appreciates the opportunity to interact with children and youth. Recently Sgt. Mark Gladfelter stopped when he saw boys playing basketball and gave them money for ice cream when they made a basket. School resource officers also make a big impact, Sgt. Huffman said.
“Building a relationship with a uniformed officer – that’s huge,” he said. “Some people don’t have a good view of law enforcement. When we foster positive relationships with kids that gives us a head start when they’re adults and also is a good recruitment tool.”
