AN INTERVIEW WITH

Q&A

AN INTERVIEW WITH POLICE CHIEF LLOYD L. SLATER

BY DEXTER NEWBY

Q—Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

A—Well, as you know, my name is Lloyd Slater, and I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. When I graduated from high school, I enlisted in the Army. I was fortunate to have earned an assignment in the 1/75 Infantry (Ranger) Battalion, which led me to my first duty station, Hinesville and Fort Stewart, Georgia. At the end of my second enlistment, when my then-wife and I began thinking of where we wanted to settle and raise our daughters, we both agreed that it would have to be somewhere other than New York City; somewhere that offered a warm climate, clean streets, and friendly people—a place where life moved at a little slower pace. So, when we left my last duty station in Germany, we returned to Hinesville, where in 1986, I joined the Hinesville Police Department.

During my tenure, I have served as the Emergency Services Dive Unit Commander, Watch Commander, Uniform Patrol Division Commander, and the Assistant Chief of Police. I have earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and a master’s degree in Public Safety Administration from Columbus State University. I am also a graduate of the Georgia Law Enforcement Command College.

Q—How did you get into law enforcement?

A—Since returning to Georgia, I have worked at several different jobs ranging from a lab technician at a chemical plant to being a civilian contractor on Fort Stewart. Although these were considered good jobs, they were routine. Each day was the same as the day before. Many people desire a nice, peaceful, drama-free life; however, having been in the military, I was used to being more challenged—I wanted more exciting and meaningful work. Self-fulfillment is hard to define when you know what you want; it’s harder to define when you don’t (or where to find it). All I knew was that I wanted to do something with my life that would give me a sense of purpose. I wanted to do something that would add value to my life—a career that would bring out the best of me every day. The only occupation I knew that could offer that combination of fulfillment was law enforcement.

What kept me in law enforcement were the thousands of lives that my actions have had positive impacts on. And, of course, no two days are ever the same. Being a police officer provides me with the opportunity to make the most out of my life—by making a difference in someone else’s.

Q—How do you feel about the negative light

that has been placed on law enforcement around the country?

A—Police officers are often more critical of a fellow officer’s poor behavior than a citizen would be. This is not a perfect world, and police officers are not perfect people; they are subject to making mistakes like everyone else. The difference is that those police officers are often required to make life-altering decisions under high-stress conditions in a fraction of a second. Unfortunately, some of these decisions have fatal consequences. There are a few bad officers, and those officers should be held accountable for their actions—but not the whole profession.

Q—What do you feel are the major issues that

we face here in Hinesville, and what can we as citizens do to help?

A—First, Hinesville is a great community and a safe place to live, and I plan on keeping it that way. This sentiment seems to be evident by the hundreds of military families who have separated or retired from the Army and who have chosen to make Hinesville their home. And like any city our size, we’re going to have our share of issues and growing pains. However, the Hinesville Police Department has an outstanding and diverse group of officers. These men and women are some of the best in the business, and they take pride in the work they do and the bearing they have on the community.

There are several small things that citizens can do to have a significant impact, such as sharing a story on social media about a positive law enforcement experience or having “the talk” with your children about the police. The best advice that I can give anyone is the same advice that I gave to my children—if you are ever told to do something by the police—as long as it is not illegal, immoral, unethical, or unsafe—comply now, and if necessary, complain later. A deliberate refusal to comply with an officer’s lawful verbal command automatically escalates the situation; it prompts the officer to use other means of persuasion.

Unfortunately, many young men and women who can become the change they want to see in their police departments are unwilling to become part of that change.

The demographic that can enact direct and immediate change are the ones who would rather talk about changing, reforming, and defunding the police rather than becoming police officers themselves.

Like most law enforcement agencies around the country, we are actively recruiting eligible community members into our ranks. Still, sadly, many of our youths are drawn to a different and often opposing lifestyle.

Q—How does it feel

to be a part of history as the first African American police chief for Hinesville?

A—I’m glad you asked that question. Not because no one has ever asked me that question before, but because I honestly didn’t know how to answer that question until a few days ago. Being Hinesville’s first African American chief of police just never resonated with me, no more than being Hinesville’s first African American assistant chief of police. I didn’t feel any different now than I did then. How could I feel any different? I have been an African American all my life and a police officer for the past thirty-four years. Nothing seemed to have changed other than my office and the rank on my shoulders. Instead, I was waiting for someone to ask me how it feels to have been the most qualified candidate for chief of police from other applicants around the country. I would have said that I feel elated to know that all of my sacrifices, hard work, and perseverance paid off. To me, achieving my goal of becoming chief of police was undoubtedly one of my most notable accomplishments and the highlight of my career; being Hinesville’s first African American chief of police was simply a pleasant coincidence.

It wasn’t until three months after being in my new position that I came to my office one Saturday to rearrange the previous police chiefs’ pictures on the conference room wall to make room for mine. After I had hung all the photos on the wall and stood back to see if they were straight, that’s when it hit me. Viewing my picture among my ten predecessors, I finally got it—everything we do, say, hear, feel, or otherwise perceive is influenced by how we see ourselves through our own subjective self-image. As a result of this bias, we see ourselves differently than others. I had to step outside of myself to see myself as others do. Understanding my position as chief of police from that perspective offered a sense of clarity that I could not have perceived any other way. I must have looked at that wall for ten minutes before taking a deep breath and walking away with a greater sense of understanding and responsibility than when I first walked into that room. I was finally able to see and feel the historical implication of my appointment and what it meant to so many people.

There have been many highs and lows along my incredible journey, but I finally made it to the top of my profession with help from many supportive people along the way. I’m excited to enter into this next chapter of my career, and I’m looking forward to what lies ahead. Over the police department’s eighty-year history, Hinesville has changed and grown in size, population, and cultural diversity. I am a reflection of that growing change.

I am honored to have been chosen to lead the Hinesville Police Department into the future and extremely proud to be the first African American chief of police to do so.

Q—What plans do you have for the City of

Hinesville?

A—As the chief of police, one of my key responsibilities is to improve community relations by solving problems that don’t exist yet; therefore, my primary goal is strengthening them by implementing initiatives that will produce longterm benefits in community support.

As police jurisdictions around the country struggle with issues ranging from racial tensions to lack of funding, I intend to create as healthy an environment as possible for my officers to do their jobs ethically and professionally. I believe we can make real progress if both sectors of society work together toward achieving the common goals of empathy, understanding, and mutual respect.

I’m looking forward to using my professional experience and leadership abilities as chief of police to foster a collaborative and innovative work environment that is foremost in law enforcement principles and practices—one that will help lead the Hinesville Police Department into a new era of community relations perspectives.