City officials meet with pastors in upper room and discuss declining crime

MANSFIELD– On Thursday, area clergy got a bird’s eye view of city affairs. Faith leaders from over twenty congregations met at the Mayor’s office on the ninth floor of city hall to discuss current economic and criminal justice trends inside the city.

In addition to Mayor Timothy Theaker, Mansfield Police Department (MPD) Chief Keith Porch, Assistant Chief Dan Petrycki, and Richland County Juvenile Court Judge Steve McKinley were also on hand at the clergy luncheon.

Coordinated by the Brown Bag Clergy Group, the meeting included boxed lunches provided by businessman Greg Boyce of Modern Woodmen of America. After the presentation by city officials, several clergy attending the luncheon left with a good taste in their mouths.

“I enjoyed meeting with local faith leaders today and believe it was a very informative,” said Pastor Jason Price of Victory Baptist Church.
“I want to thank the Mayor and the Police Department for taking time to meet with us. It is great to live in a community where the leadership is concerned about honoring God, helping others, and taking action to make our community a better place to live.”

During the lunch meeting, both Chief Porch and Assistant Chief Petrycki discussed focused crime deterrence. This includes implementing intervention strategies where chronic offenders are brought in and warned by community partners to change their behavior or face heavy consequences.

Both police officials mentioned the importance of participation by faith-based representatives at these call-ins.

Mayor Theaker told the clergy “It really takes the whole community to stop crime before it happens. We respect your contributions to our community.”

According to Chief Porch, Part 1 crimes are required to be reported annually to the FBI. Part 1 crimes include arson, homicide, manslaughter, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, larceny and auto theft. The City of Mansfield saw a 6.5% decrease of Part 1 crime in 2019. The 2019 decline makes it the fifth year in a row that violent crime has declined in the city.

The Police Chief commented “The churches have been phenomenal. We get calls of appreciation and free meals from you guys. Your partnership is very appreciated by the police department. We hope and pray this downward trend in crime will continue.”

“It is encouraging to hear the strategies the law enforcement has implemented to help bring down the crime rate,” Pastor Paul Larson of First English Lutheran interjected. “Without question this impacts quality of life in the city. From our police officers, to our judges, to our firefighters, it is clear they all have a servant’s heart and love the city residents.”

Several other items were brought to the table during the discussion.

When discussing the hardship substance abuse brings to local employers, Mayor Theaker reported that the City does random drug testing on its employees as a deterrent.

Mayor Theaker also encouraged clergy to participate in ride-alongs with law enforcement to better understand actual field conditions officers experience.

As a service to houses of worship, MPD provides ALICE Training presentations to equip church security teams. ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) provides preparation for houses of worship to proactively handle the threat of an aggressive intruder or active-shooter event.

Pastor Mark Pierce of Church Requel left the luncheon empowered.

“What impressed me the most today was the proactive work by our law enforcement to reduce major crime in Mansfield. Their community partnerships and alternative approaches to criminals is cutting edge. I left today’s luncheon impressed with the professionalism of our safety forces.

“While the motto “City of Churches originated from the many steeples on Mansfield’s skyline in the 1920s, I believe the same moniker is equally evident in Mansfield today one century later by virtue of its people displaying what the Church should look like on the the ground.

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