SpringfieldNewsSun.com

Springfield, Ohio — Neither Springfield Police nor the Clark County Sheriff's Office have had many complaints about racial profiling in the last few years.

But at a panel discussion at the Clark County Public Library Thursday, May 8, residents were urged to file a report if they believe officers acted unjustly toward them.

In the last 10 years, Clark County Sheriff Gene Kelly said his office has received only one complaint about racial profiling. Springfield Police Division Chief Stephen Moody said his staff received three complaints in the last five years.

However, some audience members said they believe those statistics do not reflect how often racial profiling actually occurs in the county.

Arnett Hardnick, a member of the local chapter of the NAACP, said some local African-Americans may be reluctant to file a complaint with police, but said they need to take action or nothing will be resolved.

"You can't just assume, or tell a friend that 'here's what happened to me," Hardnick said. "You have to address it."

Overall, Hardnick said she believes both departments have made major strides in dealing with the topic over the years.

Both Kelly and Moody said their departments routinely undergo training to learn to deal with the issue appropriately. They also said they can't resolve those issues when they crop up unless someone lets them know.

"If I don't know about it, I can't fix it," Kelly said.

Part of the reason his office received so few complaints, Moody said, is because his officers have worked hard to improve relationships in the community.

The department often meets with groups like Justice Action Mercy to help them evaluate how well they're doing.

"Those relationships are key to how we do our job," Moody said.

Kelly said deputies also often use video cameras in cruisers and small audio recorders so there is a record of how deputies deal with the public.

"I think we've come a long way in 20 years," Kelly said. "I know we have."

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