EMMIE BOESE
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Thursday night, the NAACP Hutchinson and SW Bricktown Neighborhood hosted a police forum with Police Chief Brice Burlie of the Hutchinson Police Department and other department personnel. Members of the public came to listen and talk with a panel of four officers in administrative positions.
Topics discussed included community interaction goals for the department, the importance of being a good crime witness, prevention of local drug crimes, mental health safety and handling of the department budget.
Chief Burlie, who was promoted to the permanent position in early August, said he enjoys public forums with the community. Throughout the evening, common themes of doing the job with integrity were discussed. Burlie told the audience integrity, professionalism and honesty are the Hutchinson Police Department's core values.
"We all know what those things mean but in our field. "We have to live that 24/7 right," Burlie said at the forum. "We can't just come in in uniform, and be professional and be honest and have high levels of integrity. Even when we take the uniform off and we go home, we are out in public or we are with our wives or with our kids, you still have to hold yourself to that high expectation. It goes without saying that the reason for that is because if we want the community to fully entrust in us, how are we ever going to expect the community to trust us if we don't act right when we're outside the job."
Burlie, Operations Officer Dustin Loepp, Professional Standards Captain Dayton Gates and Administrative Captain Michael Collins were all present for the discussion.
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