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As a transplant to
Central West Virginia,
I am often talking with folks who are unaware of local events and
issues. Inevitably, when catching up on the phone or during an
out-of-town visit, the question comes, “So, how are things at the
newspaper?”
“Oh, you
know, small town stuff.”
“Like dip
and donates, reunions, how many were in church on Sunday?” They have
seen the paper on occasion.
“Well, yeah,
that and some other stuff.”
Some people
let me off at that, but others push a little.
What do I say? If I let
them think that all Calhoun
County does is beg for money, get together to eat and go to church, we
sound like a bunch of poor simpletons with lots of faith.
If I tell them that the
former chief of police has been arrested on sexual assault charges and
the new chief wrecked the police cruiser (not long after a trooper
wrecked his cruiser) and . . . well, typically, the response then is
laughter.
Honestly,
when you step outside Calhoun
and look in, you have to shake your head.
Calhoun
certainly does come across as a place where what can go wrong will.
There are times when I get angry and think, “Why can’t these people just
behave?” There are times when I just have to laugh.
I think it’s
one of those “laugh or cry” situations.
There is a
good amount of anger and resentment out there being thrown in the
direction of the new police chief. When I heard that he had wrecked the
cruiser, I just smacked my forehead. “That guy has the worst luck.”
The past
experiences of my life, before and after serving as a reporter, have
made me mistrustful of police officers. I assume there are residents
here who, especially with the
Ron
Gordon
issues, may feel the same way.
Typically,
locals are also mistrustful of strangers.
I spoke with
Chief
Teare
this week--the first full conversation we have had--and I have to say,
he doesn’t strike me as a bad guy.
You see, in
my position, before I accuse him of anything, I am actually required to
speak to him. Before I can go around making accusations, I have to
actually talk to the man. If I have questions concerning his behavior, I
have to ask him.
That’s what
a reporter has to do.
I had a lot
of hard questions for Teare. Not defensive, he knew I was not attacking,
that I was just doing my job. He was open, and (I think) honest, and I
finally got a good picture of where he is coming from and what he is
dealing with.
Filling a
chief’s position left open by an accused man, in a town without a
municipal court, with no additional officers, minimal budget, and a
council that that is divided in their opinions of him--would you be in
his shoes?
Those who accuse him of
wrongdoing, intentional bad behavior, or of being an overachiever (or
underachiever) really just don’t know what they are talking about.
I suppose
saying that will put my name on the community’s black list again, but it
has to be said.
Let the man
alone, and let him do his job. Other than being a flatlander getting the
lesson of coal trucks in sharp turns (and hitting a dog that was in the
road), he hasn’t done anything wrong.
He isn’t
overzealous, having issued only one ticket in two months, and making
only two arrests. He isn’t a council puppet, being “sicked” on people
for personal reasons. He isn’t lax in his duties, but also isn’t too
gung-ho. He chose not to live in
Calhoun
for personal reasons--reasons that I can identify with. That doesn’t
make him a bad person.
Teare has
been involved with law enforcement for over 15 years-he knows more about
his job (and all that comes with that job) than the mayor, the council,
and the man on the street. Sure, he looks a little grumpy most of the
time, but get him to take off those dark glasses and initiate a
conversation, and he is actually a fairly nice guy.
I have a black list of
my own, you know, and sure, there are names of a few police officers on
there, but
Harry
Teare’s
name is not one of them.
Yet.
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