Interview: The WF Police Department

By Carol Pelosi         

Monday, May 3, I had a chat around our kitchen table with Wake Forest Police Chief Jeff Leonard, Captain Brian Mote, Captain Julius Jefferson and Communications and Public Affairs Director Bill Crabtree.

First I want to talk a bit about Chief Jeff Leonard because I believe his upbringing and his character were and are important in shaping the current Wake Forest Police Department, its policies and procedures. Wake Forest has always been his home, and being a police officer was his goal. He grew up here, went to school here, and when he first put on the uniform he was often asked, “Aren’t you the mailman’s boy?” Yes, because his father, Philip Leonard, walked a mail route in town for years.

When he was first hired in 1992 by then-Chief Joel Keith as an auxiliary parttime officer while he was still in college he said there were “open-air drug markets” on street corners in town. Those are long gone, though he said in the interview that there certainly are drugs in town, but the department does all it can to take drug sellers off the streets.

Another thing that is different, Leonard said, is that years ago Wake Forest was the employment agency for other local departments. Officers would be hired here, get two years or so of experience and then be recruited by or apply successfully to other departments. Not any more.

“We could have been called the fifteenth precinct of the Durham Police Department,” Mote said, because of all the Durham officers they had hired.

“There are only three reasons people leave us,” Mote said. “Those are retirement, leaving for a better job like a chief or other high position or moving out of the area, usually for family reasons.” Leonard added in a memo that a fourth reason is when someone is asked to leave.

Leonard was hired as a police officer in 1994 by the new chief, Greg Harrington, and then began a climb through all the facets of policing – patrol, investigations, drugs – and in 2010 was named Harrington’s successor. He joked that he had started out as low as you could get and ended up as high as he was going to get.

* * * *

In the spring of 2014, Leonard gained nationwide attention after 63-year-old Frank Janssen was kidnapped from his Heritage Wake Forest home on a Saturday, leaving behind several drops of blood. On Monday his wife began receiving threats that he would be killed, including pictures showing him tied up in a chair.

Leonard is not talking about when he began calling in the SBI, the FBI and other state and federal agencies. But the FBI was able to intercept and track cell phone messages a gang leader called Kelvin Melton was using while in a North Carolina prison. Melton told the members of his gang to kill Janssen.

On Wednesday, three hours after that phone call, an FBI special unit raided an apartment in Atlanta and freed Janssen. Five gang members were arrested, charged and later found guilty.

Melton had ordered them to kidnap Janssen’s daughter, Colleen, mistakenly thinking she lived with her parents and took the father in her place. Colleen Janssen was the assistant district attorney who prosecuted Melton and put him in prison. Leonard was praised by all the state and federal agencies for calling for their aid after he quickly assessed the situation as critical.

* * * *

Leonard said the Wake Forest Police Department has been able to do all it has done – gaining accreditation, maintaining high standards for recruitment and retention, emphasizing constant training and continuously seeking ways to become better – is because of the strong support of the mayor, the commissioners and the town manager. When the recession of 2008 hit and other towns were letting people go, Leonard said the manager told them he would try not to fire anyone – and he did not. If the merit increases that year were 1 percent rather than the usual 2 percent, everyone stayed and had a job.

He also talked about the support of the community, which always contributes generously to the Thanksgiving Turkey Drive and Shop with a Cop. When department members had to go out of town to help with a disaster, Leonard said businesses and individuals donated hard hats and the other equipment they needed.

In return, Wake Forest off-duty officers help build Habitat for Humanity houses, help paint and repair houses, and donate their off-duty time to many charitable events. Right now the department is raising money for Special Olympics with a mustache-growing contest.

“If there’s anything we can do to better ourselves, we’re doing it,” Leonard said.

* * * *

My purpose in asking for the interview with the chief and in asking several Wake Forest residents about their view of the Wake Forest Police Department was to find out how the department operates in these days of terrible news about police interactions and if it is succeeding in making Wake Forest a safe place, a good town to live in.

From what I have learned, yes they are succeeding. The only complaints a well-known and well-connected person in the Northeast area had were abandoned cars left on the streets for months or longer, a common complaint all over town, and traffic tickets for speeders on Capital Boulevard when, he said, first-time offenders used to get warning tickets.

The morning of the interview, a woman came to the Taylor Street station with plates of cookies and other baked goods, just because she wanted to thank the officers.

One observer noted that police officers “keep a reassuring presence near the Alston-Massenburg Center” and help with events in the Northeast (and all over town) such as Juneteenth and Unity in the Community. He also said that officers attend the now-virtual meetings for the Northeast Community Coalition.

(If you have a different opinion of the Wake Forest Police Department and wish to voice it, you can do so anonymously by sending an email to cwpelosi@aol.com. I will have to ask you to give me your name so I can be sure you are who you say, but I will withhold your name unless you expressly tell me I can use it.)

Leonard, Mote and Jefferson said policing is different these days, and it includes being visible in neighborhoods and meeting with neighborhood and area groups, such as Neighborhood Watch meetings or meeting with seniors to provide safety tips and children who tour the police department.

One of those is the monthly meetings of the Northeast Community Council. Leonard said he or members of his command staff attend those NECC meetings, not Patrol Division officers, because “they can stay longer without having to be called away.”

The department has a policy that officers should get out of their cars, walk the streets and talk to people. One officer often drops by a house on North Allen Road to talk with the woman who lives there. They are such good friends that she will call the Taylor Street station to say she is out of (bottled) water and he takes it to her.

Mote said patrol officers often park or go by the East Juniper-North Taylor Street intersection because it is a visible place, near the spray ground and the Alston-Massenburg Center. It is also a traditional place to meet because of the swimming pool that was once there and the basketball court under the water tank, also long gone.

(There are four new police positions in the budget proposed for next year by Town Manager Kip Padgett – community resource officers who will work to strengthen community relations. They will patrol parks and greenways, attend community meetings including functions and special events and engage with town residents with an emphasis on young people.)

Years ago shootings were not usual but they did occur, so the question was, when was the last shooting between two residents? That question stymied the three officers for a while, and there was some mumbling – “Was it in back of the apartments?” – and finally Jefferson said it had to be in 2019.

One of the people asked about their opinion of the police department wanted to know the procedure when there is a rape. Mote said if the victim calls or notifies the police, they take the victim to an emergency room immediately where there is a full rape kit. That kit can help to identify the assailant if there is a question and it is administered by a nurse trained to help the victim and collect all evidence. Sometimes a rape victim will go to an emergency room herself. In that situation, the Wake Forest Police Department is notified and an officer goes to gather information and write a report.

And there are domestic situations, which can be dangerous. Leonard wrote that the protocol calls for first making sure all parties are safe and secure. “Should someone be injured, officers will render aid or call for EMS. Officers then use their training and experience to help the parties reconcile their differences while also investigating to see if any crimes have been committed. Officers direct the parties to resources to help them in their time of need such as the courts, the magistrate, abuse advocates, substance abuse treatment centers or mental health professionals.

(In the proposed town budget for 2021-2022 Town Manager Kip Padgett is recommending a new position, not a sworn one, in the police department, a victim advocate who would direct the parties in domestic situations or others to the appropriate resources listed above. Padgett said he and Chief Leonard agree that such a position is needed.)

* * * *

What they really wanted to talk about was the many ways they have worked to make their department one that meets all the international, national and state accreditation agencies standards.

“The chief decided,” Mote said, “our policies, we wanted them top-notch, top of the line.” And they went to CALEA.

This is a town press release: “In March 2018 the Wake Forest Police Department (WFPD) received international accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc. (CALEA).

The accreditation verifies that the WFPD meets the commission’s industry best-practice standards and has attained public safety professional excellence.

As part of the voluntary application process, WFPD had to comply with 189 standards, including development of a comprehensive, well-thought-out uniform set of written directives, a preparedness program in place to address natural or man-made critical incidents and accountability for authority, performance and responsibilities both within the agency and the community.

As part of the review process, CALEA conducted a site visit in Wake Forest last December that examined all aspects of WFPD’s policies and procedures, management, operations and support services.

The accreditation is good for four years, during which WFPD must submit annual reports to show continued compliance with the standards under which it was initially accredited.

The purpose of CALEA’s accreditation is to improve the delivery of public safety services, primarily by maintaining a body of standards developed by practitioners in the field that cover a wide range of up-to-date safety initiatives.”

“I got the credit but he did the work,” Leonard said of Mote.

That accreditation took about two years of work by Mote and others. Mote and Leonard said a CALEA committee now comes to the department every year for three years, working to help them update policies and procedures. In the fourth year, Leonard and others go before the CALEA board at some site around the country and answer questions.

Mote and Leonard said Knightdale, Cary, Morrisville and Raleigh are CALEA accredited and Wendell is beginning the process.

“We’ve got the national,” Leonard said. “Now there’s talk of doing the state.”

The Wake Forest Department has a lengthy list of the training officers have to undertake. The State of North Carolina requires each officer have 24 hours of training each year, including juvenile minority sensitivity training.

Leonard wrote in answer to training questions: “We also mandate additional training that is not required by the state on the following topics: ethics and rules of conduct, use of force (including de-escalation), legal and biased based policing, vehicle pursuits, all-hazard plan, incident command system, responding to people with mental health issues, employee harassment and temporary detention.

(The Wake Forest Police Department began a “Take Me Home” system early this year in which families can enroll in a confidential database with the department if they have a member who wanders. It is designed to protect children, adults and the elderly with disabilities, such as autism, Down’s syndrome or Alzheimer’s and other dementia disorders, who go missing and may be unable to communicate who they are and where they live. The program is a free and voluntary.)

“Officers also receive training through the NC Justice Academy and Wake Tech on topics such as Crisis Intervention Training (CIT), CIT for Veterans, FTO , Instructor Certification, Specialized Certification (driving, radar, firearms, PT, SCAT), Drug Recognition Expert (DRE), investigative classes, legal training such as the Police Law Institute, and leadership training such as the League of Municipalities online supervisory training program and the FBI-LEEDA (Law Enforcement Executive Development Association).”

Leonard said the department is also certified through the N.C. League of Municipalities after taking part in their law enforcement risk management review. The League provides insurance for the department, and when the review began Wake Forest had a risk because it was one of the state leaders in car-deer collisions. When I asked if that was still true, Mote grinned and said no, because we have lost so many trees.

* * * *

The department has 105 positions. There is one chief, three captains, eight lieutenants, 11 sergeants, 10 corporals and 53 officers, who are all sworn. In addition there are seven civilian staff, one communications supervisor, two communications shift supervisors, eight telecommunicators and one parking enforcement officer. Currently there are vacancies for three sworn officers and two telecommunicators.

(In the proposed town budget for 2021-2022 Town Manager Kip Padgett is recommending there be two additional shift supervisors in the telecommunications division because there has been a more than 24 percent increase in calls since 2018 as well as the other positions mentioned above.)

Leonard said he was dismayed to have to report that his department is heavily white. Of the sworn officers, there are five African-Americans, five Hispanics and 76 Caucasians. In the non-sworn category there is one African-American, two Asian or Pacific Islanders, no Hispanics and 14 Caucasians. It is also primarily male. Of the total staff, 86 are male and 14 are female; of the sworn staff, 79 are male and four are female.

* * * *

The police departments community outreach programs include the “Take Me Home” program; D.A.R.E.; Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events; National Night Out; Shop with a Cop; Special Olympics; Mustache May; Turkey Drive; Operation Safe Sale; Neighborhood Watch; Child Safety Seat Installation; and Fingerprinting Service.

Some of these have been suspended because of the pandemic. See www.wakeforestnc.gov, select Departments and the Police to see descriptions of all these programs.

* * * *

The proposed budget for the Wake Forest Police Department for 2021-2022 is $14,144,970 with 76 percent of that, $10,696,765, being for personnel.  The eight additional positions requested will start working Jan. 1, 2022.

There are additional personnel costs because of the career ladder and LEO separation. The operating expenses reflect increases in additional contracted services and vehicle upfits. The capital outlay includes additional vehicles as well as tags and cameras for the new officers and replacement vehicles according to a replacement schedule the town uses for all town-owned vehicles.

* * * *

Leonard’s final words in the memo: “As a professional agency, I expect all employees to serve with Courage, Honor and Integrity – our core values. I expect all employees to be professional and treat all people ethically and equally regardless of race, age, color, religion/faith, sex, national origin or ancestry, disability, genetic information, citizenship or veteran status (the 10 federally protected classes.

“We have a discipline process should an employee violate any policy involving discrimination of any class of people. There is no place for discrimination in the law enforcement profession. Lady Justice herself wears a blindfold representing impartiality, the idea that justice should be applied without regard to wealth, power or any other status.

“When someone is in need or has violated the law, I do not believe that our officers see a man or woman or Asian person or Hispanic person or old or young person. They see a person. This person may be in need of help or may be someone who has violated the law and needs to be apprehended.

“We have officers who have suffered and bled protecting others. They do not think about what class the person is when serving.

“I am proud of the men and women serving in the police department and appreciate their commitment and sacrifice to ensure Wake Forest is as safe as possible.

“I think this is why we are so supported by the Mayor, Board of Commissioners, Town Manager, Town employees and citizens. Our officers care and are committed, and I think that has been the key to our success as a department and Town over the years.

“We are able to maintain such a high caliber of employee by having a rigorous application process, conducting arduous and effective training of personnel, setting clear expectations, maintaining proactive accountability of all staff, and having supervisors who support their staff and show them they are not forgotten while serving in a dangerous occupation.”

#