‘I support any movement that supports equal rights’
by Carol Leish
Ventura Police Chief Darin Schindler stated, “The current Black Lives Matter movement does focus on the rights that all people have, and the idea that everybody deserves to be treated fairly and with respect. In my opinion, it will go on for a long time, since it will be continuing until people feel that things are changing in our society.”
The Ventura Police does support peaceful protests, according to Chief Schindler. He said, “Everybody, no matter who you are, or what your race or gender is, deserves to be treated with respect and dignity. The police department deals with all people of various races, gender, and sexual orientation.” Thus, he emphasizes that, ‘All people should be treated fairly and with dignity.”
According to Chief Schindler, ‘We do not use choke holds. We do use the carotid control hold, which is an upper body control hold, that restricts the blood flow to the brain, and causes somebody who is fighting to pass out temporarily. It’s not a choke hold that would restrict breathing or compress the front of the neck. It is only rarely used when there is the imminent threat of death or serious injury to the officer.”
He stresses that, ‘In the 30 years that I’ve been working within the police department, this is one of the most heated times for prejudices. People feel that it’s coming to a boiling point. And, people don’t like being biased against or treated differently.”
Ventura Mayor Matt LaVere stated, ‘Ventura hasn’t had any rioting. We’ve had peaceful and productive demonstrations, which I think is the Ventura way of doing things.”
He went on, ‘I support any movement that supports equal rights in order for everyone to be treated equally. Black Lives Matter movement will be lasting until the community make necessary changes to make sure that there is equality between all people.”
“As police officers, our job,” according to Chief Schindler, “is more of policing versus just enforcing laws, which is just a small part of what we do. We also do problem solving. We can do a lot more when we work together. Through building trust, by building bridges within the community, we can find a solution together. We want everyone to feel welcome and safe, and to realize that we’re here for them.”
