Their motto is: Second to none. West Manchester Township police officers believe that about themselves. They don't have to take a back seat to any police department. It's written on police department letterhead, envelopes, business cards and ID cards.
Some might view that as somewhat arrogant. But it's not. It's a commitment they've made to the citizens they serve. A promise of sorts. As important, however, it's a commitment they've made to themselves to live up to the motto.
And they take it seriously.
So seriously, in fact, that when one of their own -- former township Detective Steven Crider, a veteran of 32 years on the WMT force -- was arrested in May and subsequently fired from his job after allegedly admitting that he stole drugs for his own use (mostly cocaine, but marijuana and heroin, too) from the department's evidence room, the department took it like a kick to the groin.
What Crider is alleged to have done reflects poorly on him, of course. He is accused of stealing drug evidence involving more than 100 criminal cases. The District Attorney's Office was forced to drop charges against two accused drug dealers because the evidence against them is alleged to have been stolen by Crider.
He has been charged with six counts of forgery, 100 counts of tampering with public records or information, 100 counts of theft, 27 counts of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, 21 counts of possession of an illegal substance
All of that will be resolved in due time in the courts.
But what Crider did also reflected poorly on the rest of the 30 men and women in the police department. It had nothing to do with them, but it still cast a huge, dark shadow over each of them, from Police Chief Art Smith down to the least experienced patrol officer and the civilians who work within the department.
They felt it. They knew the citizens they serve felt it, too.
And they didn't appreciate it one little bit.
So they asked themselves: What could they do to make sure what happened would never happen again?
Second to none? Thinking it, saying it, writing it on stationery was one thing. Proving it to the community was something else altogether.
But then they did an amazing thing -- it was announced at last Thursday's township supervisors' meeting that the police department has agreed to include random drug testing in their new police contract.
In fact, it was their initiative. They volunteered to be drug tested.
But that's not all. They've also agreed that a code of conduct listing terminable offenses will be included in the contract.
The police department had a point to make -- and they made it. It was all about restoring public confidence in their department.
Talk about a breath of fresh air. This is it.
I happen to live in West Manchester Township. I pay taxes there. I've always believed the police department there was top notch. But I've never been prouder of them than I am at this moment.
This is not something you see every day in the world of contract negotiations. In fact, I'm not aware of another police department in York County where random drug testing occurs or is required by contract.
Frankly, I think it's a good idea. Not because I think cops are closet drug abusers who need to be held to a higher standard than all the rest of us, but because cops, as part of their job, are frequently exposed to illegal drugs.
Most cops are on the up and up. They wouldn't abuse drugs if they were 100 percent sure they could get away with it. But there is the occasional fly in the ointment.
Random drug testing could be enough to help a cop resist temptation. But if not, it would nip the problem in the bud very quickly with a positive drug test. With random testing, no cop will be stealing and abusing drugs for eight years as Crider is alleged to have done.
Either way, they gain the public's trust.
Or, as in this case, regain it.
Columns by Larry A. Hicks, Dispatch columnist, run Mon days, Wednesdays and Fri days. E-mail: lhicks@yorkdispatch.com.
Font Resize
