The I Love CVille Show With Jerry Miller! - Charlottesville Police Chief Mike Kochis; One Year On The Job - How Are Things Going?

Episode Date: April 2, 2024

The I Love CVille Show headlines: One Year On The Job – How Are Things Going? What CPD Improvements Should We Highlight? What Should Continue Improving With CPD? FLOCK License Plate Recognition Approved Why Is License Plate Recognition A Good Fit? City Council & Police Department Dynamic Should Police Officers Be In Public Schools? How Do We Keep Guns Out Of Hands Of Kids? Read Viewer & Listener Comments Live On-Air Charlottesville Police Chief Mike Kochis joined Jerry Miller live on The I Love CVille Show! The I Love CVille Show airs live Monday – Friday from 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm on The I Love CVille Network. Watch and listen to The I Love CVille Show on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, iTunes, Apple Podcast, YouTube, Spotify, Fountain, Amazon Music, Audible and iLoveCVille.com.

Good Tuesday afternoon, guys. My name is Jerry Miller, and thank you kindly for joining us on the I Love Seville Show. This program airs anywhere you get your social media or podcasting content, and all we want is to be the water cooler of conversation in a market that we call Central Virginia. It's 300,000 people strong. It's dynamic. It's sophisticated. It's affluent. It's educated. It's a market with opinions. And we'll talk about some of those opinions today in our studio in downtown Charlottesville. I like to start the show the same way every single day. We're two miles from the University

of Virginia and a hop, skip, and a jump from the Charlottesville Police Department, a department that's led by Chief Michael Kochess, a man that has had more positive an impact in this community than anyone I can think of in the last 14 months. He takes over a department, and these are my words, that was struggling to find an identity, struggling for leadership. He comes in and he quickly says, this is going to be a department of community, connection, and human interaction. And he did it through his walk and talks. He did it through listening to learn. And he's quickly changed morale.

He's quickly changed the brand that is Charlottesville Police. And I'm very excited to have him on the Tuesday edition of the I Love Seville show. Judah Wickhauer, I've got to give the man some props. We call him the Elmer's glue of the I Love Seville network. Every team needs a glue guy, and this guy is our glue man right here. He does the stuff that is often not showing up in the box score, but without his production, there is no positive performance.

If you could go to the studio camera and welcome Chief Kotchis to the program, we fondly showing up in the box score, but without his production, there is no positive performance. If you could go to the studio camera and welcome Chief Kotchis to the program. We fondly dubbed him the George Clooney of policing. I sincerely mean that. Chief Kotchis, we love to see you around town. We love to see what you've done. How are things going, sir? Things have been great. It really has. Man, like we were just saying, 13 months or 14 months, it's been, it's gone quick, you know. And we've done a lot. And it seems like we haven't slowed down. We've done a lot over the last year.

And I just, I've never been more optimistic. I was just talking to my boss, the city manager, and I'm like, you know, that I love my job. It really is. It's a great community to work in. There's challenges every day. There's a challenge. But that's okay. It's, you know, my purpose has never been more clear. And so I'm having fun.

I've been in this community 25 years, and it's been a very long time since I've seen morale this high, since I've seen the brand image of police in the community this high, since I've seen the community across the board embrace the chief of police, probably since the heyday of Chief Tim Longo, have we seen positive conditions like this? Let's put that in perspective. What's working well? I think it's an all of the above approach, right? It's not just one thing. And I'm asked this. You know, we had this time last year when we –

it was a little after this time last year when I was on before. But we had 30 vacancies this time last year. That's a lot for a department our size. Today we have three. That's amazing. You know, and we'll probably be fully staffed here in the next month or so. I think we'll probably always carry maybe one or two vacancies eventually. But I'm asked, like, how did we do that? And not only are we hiring people, we're hiring a diverse workforce. Almost a quarter of our workforce are African American

officers. Almost a quarter of our workforce are female officers. And so I've been asked, like, how have we done that? And I can't put my finger on just one thing. We have our staff. They've just been laser focused on making sure we get the right people in the door who want to do this profession for the right reasons. And I can't overstate that, Jerry, because I think some people get into this profession for the wrong reasons. And we see what happens when those folks are able to go out here and be on the street. We don't need them. And so it's just the people.

Everybody from my assistant chief, Steve Nick, who runs our administrative services area, to Dwayne Jones, D.I. Jones, who many people know he's been here like 30-some years, was putting our largest and most diverse class ever in the history of the police department in place. They've just been focused on doing the work. And so I'm really happy about what we've seen. Officer Jones on the UVA corner beat. That was his area. When I was a student at the University of Virginia, a fair, approachable, accountable officer when he was on the university beat. I enjoy seeing him very much. I enjoy seeing the blue.

We say on this program, we back the blue on the I Love Seville show. We say it weekly on this program. You go from 30 vacancies to three. I mean, that right there is incredible. Put that in perspective here. When you took over, I want to say it was 25 to 30% of the department was open. Yeah. And folks were going to other teams.

I've never seen anything like it. I'll be honest with you, Jerry. So there was, not only did we have all those vacancies, I mean, I had very little command staff, sergeant, from the rank of sergeant, lieutenant, captain, assistant chief. I mean, so over the last year, we have put into place processes and procedures to, one, make sure that the folks we are promoting are the right folks. And I got this actually from the former interim city manager, Mr. Rogers, that process matters.

Process is so important. And he said to me one time, he said, you know, chief, if the process isn't correct, the results might not matter. And that's so true. And so we have used the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police outside assessors to come in and put processes together, promotional processes to build the police department. So we've had to build it from the ground up. And it's been a lot of work, but our folks have really put their nose to the ground and done the work. And I want to say this too, Jerry. I don't, you know, when I came in, there's a lot of folks that want to kind of blame this person,

that person for what either happened or not. I don't think that's fair. And I'll say this, that there's a saying in the Chiefs world, the next Chief is always the best Chief, right? It's like the quarterback in football. Right, exactly. You know, it's like, you know, one day when I move on to do whatever, the next Chief, they're going to be like, can you believe what Chief Koch just did, this and that. So there was a lot going on, though, right?

I mean, Charlottesville did real deal pandemic, right? I joke that, like, when I was in Warrington, we did a pandemic for, like, a week. I mean, y'all did, pandemic for a long time. And so, so there was a lot of instability. There was a lot, a lot of that going on. And so it was the right time and to make these things happen. Stephanie Wells-Rhodes watching the family of the Interstate Service Company family. They've been here generations in this community. We love seeing what you are doing in the community and on social media, Chief Kachis. Keep up the great work. I also back the blue, she says. Georgia Gilmer watching the program. Scott Q watching the program. Buku

business owners watching the program that are giving you props. Viewers and listeners, you can give props to the police chief. You can ask him a question on this program. I mean, you've got thousands here. I'll throw this to you. What do you want to see? Because I feel like getting to know you over some of these interviews, watching you from afar, admiring you from afar, I would imagine that you are of the mindset that you want to keep improving every day. With your department, what do you want to continue to improve upon? Well, again, I just said, you know, making sure we're hiring the right people that understand their purpose. And it's clear that I understand what my purpose is. What does this community expect of its police chief and its police department?

And to do, we're learning that every day. You know, we started to, you mentioned the community walks we started doing when I first got here. That was really just to kind of learn the community. And as we started doing that, what stuck out to me was like this want and this need to tell us things, to communicate and engage with us in their space. And what do I mean in their space? Not just at community meetings, not just at, you know, things at the police department or at city council, but in their front yard, in their living room, on their sidewalk. And so those organic conversations that I continue to talk about, we continue to do. I mean, we do, we have done a community walk every week since I've been here and we will continue to do them every week. This week we're doing it on Nassau street. And so again, we get last, the last one we did was up on Lankford and Ridge Street they had just had

a shooting we get up there and there's like 15 20 residents standing on a corner they're ready to give it to me and they should they're like hey chief what's going on my kids were out on their bike riding their bicycles when they had to shoot out on my street they have every right to look me in the face and tell me what their concerns are and so that's what these community walks have done and so to continue to do that to to hear from residents, that ultimately helped form our priorities within the police department. Those conversations, those true organic conversations and relationships have not only formed our strategic priorities, our strategic plan that we put out, and we'll continue to do so. So looking forward, more of that.

We're going to continue to do that, find ways to involve the community in what we do at the police department, because ultimately that's what we're here to do. I was in person at the Q&A, the in-person, I mean air quotes, maybe a fireside chat at the church next to Dairy Market. That was wild. It was wild. There were a lot of people there. It was packed to the gills. Probably well occupied, ahead of code. Oh, absolutely. It was not a big enough space. And this man was in front. And I want to give him some props here. It was every opinion across the spectrum.

And you listened to learn. It was kind words and props. It was folks that were challenging you guys, the department. And you listened to everyone. You took into consideration everything that everyone had to say. And at that moment, I sincerely mean this, at that moment I was like, this guy without question was the right man for the job. Well, Jerry, you know, it that moment, I was like, this guy, without question,

was the right man for the job. Well, Jerry, you know, it's interesting. I talk about that meeting a lot because I remember, I live right around the corner from that. I know you do. And so I remember walking home after that, that night, my wife called me because she watched it. She's like, oh my God, I can't, you know, and I was like, I felt so good about the place we're in because if you remember leading up to that, we had threeicides we were averaging a shooting a day and what I got out of that is that the community like they were pissed but they weren't necessarily necessarily pissed at me or or the police department they were just pissed like we're better than this as a community and it was like we we got to

do something and while I can't quantify I can't put my finger on one specific thing, you know, but we finished a year down, part one crime. We finished the year down when our shots fired calls. And to say that, like, as a police chief, of course, I want to say, yes, rah, rah, police department, we did this. But the reality of it is, is that the community did this. They did this with the police department. They were involved, whether it be the UHU foundation, whether it be city of promise, all these great nonprofits within the city that are trying to do the good work that, that go towards the root causes of crimes, what we're seeing. And so, yeah, that was a turning for me.

I think that was a turning point. It really was. It was like, man, okay, we got something good here in Charlottesville. Absolutely. And you saw that, guys, by the hundreds. Neil Williamson, we'll get to your comments here. The president of the Free Enterprise Forum in a matter of moments about FLOC. Media is watching about FLOC. We will get to it, we promise. About city council.

I've seen the dynamic with the police department and city council with you as chief and city council improve dramatically. And we saw it again last night. Put the 3-2 vote in perspective with approving the license plate readers and put in perspective. In fact, a microcosm of this might be the two no's with Payne and Ohering and how they voice. Very thoughtful. There you go. Very thoughtful. I mean, and so you got to go back and look in, I think it was like August or September when I initially presented

this. And council was like, hey, chief, yeah, this is fine, but you need to go out and talk to the community about this. And they were right. And so we did. And, I mean, we had a very robust community outreach and strategy. We had, I mean, look, e-mails, conversations, community meetings, you name it, we did it. And we heard it all. I mean, you know, I said this yesterday at the council meeting. I made sure to talk to Jeff Fogle. I know he listens to this often, the attorney.

I spoke to him yesterday. I asked him if it was okay that I talked about our conversations we have. He and I meet probably about twice a month for coffee. And while we don't agree on a lot of things. I don't think Mr. Fogle agrees with a lot of things. Yeah, but he's a good guy. And we have really good conversations. And I value his opinion.

And so a lot of things when it come to FLOC had formed my policy recommendation that changed from my initial policy recommendation. And so they're really good questions. But leading up to last night, you know, I also met with Councilor Dorner, two two-ones as well, the city manager. We talked about all of these things as well. But I thought that the questions from Councilor Payne and Councilor Oshren were really well, they were thoughtful. And I appreciate them.

I thought they were really, even though there were no votes, I understand that. But they come from a good place. And I think, like I said, I thought they were good questions. And, yeah, I think council's really focusing on governing right now. And I think that's important. Put flock in. Kyle Irvin, welcome to the's really focusing on governing right now. And I think that's important. Put Flock and Kyle Irvin, welcome to the program. We love you, Kyle. We appreciate you here. I'm going to get to as many questions as possible. Put them in the feed. I'll relay them live on air. You've got a planning commissioner. You've got two counselors. You've

got two boards of supervisors watching the program. A number of the DBAC is watching the program and giving you props right now, Chief Kotchess. Put Flock in perspective for those that don't follow the news like we do. Sure. So Flock is, what it is, it's ALPR, so Automated License Plate Readers. They've been around a long time. And so Flock is a company that has put a program into place where it's actually like real time now. So I'll give

you an example. And I talked about this last night, the Ellywood homicide that happened up near the corner. When that murder took place, witnesses saw the suspect get into a silver four-door sedan and take off. And they're calling dispatch saying, the guy just got into the silver four-door, saying, I don't know the tag. And it was like 1 o'clock in the morning, somewhere around that time. If we had this system with these stationary cameras, that dispatch could have punched that into that system live. We're looking for a four-door sedan, 1 o'clock in the morning, it's silver. Any silver four-door sedan that would have went through the cameras

would have alerted the responding officers right away. And they could go towards that and try to intercept that person so they don't commit another crime. Now they have to confirm. The officer can locate the vehicle, but they have to come up with their own reasonable, articulable suspicion to stop the car. A flock hit in and of itself is not enough. But it's a lead. It's an investigative tool.

And it's a very effective tool. Governor Newsom just like three days ago did a press conference announcing that they have purchased 480 flock cameras for the state of California. You know, throughout the Commonwealth, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Alexandria, Fairfax. I mean, these are jurisdictions that realize the value in this investigative tool. And so I think it will be very helpful for us. Neil Williamson Watson, president of the Free Enterprise Forum. He says, is California the leading edge on this? And he cites a paragraph from an article that was recently published. Oakland will install 300 new plate readers throughout the city.

Its latest effort to battle rising crime, in this case by using cutting edge technology. The California reference, and then I'll piggyback on that question, how do you utilize what's working and not working from other jurisdictions to improve your department? Well, you want to see, right? Like there's a saying in policing, there's no such thing as plagiarism in policing. I mean, I don't want to recreate the wheel, right? So the chief world, especially in in Virginia is pretty small. We talk a lot. And so, um, you know, Hey, what's working, what are some of the challenges with flock from a policy standpoint that you have found, you know, um, from, from a training standpoint, what are things that you have learned when you implement, like in Alexandria, they

implemented the program up there. And when they did, you know, I, when I've talked to the chief up there, it's like, Hey, when you do your training, these are some things you should focus on with your officers to ensure it's used correctly. You know, stuff like that that we talk about. And it's been very effective. I mean, there's story after story about catching murder suspects or finding missing children or, you know, stuff like that. So, yeah. James Watson watching the program program he's been in the community longer if not the same as me you know mr watson says shout out to duane jones and

steve nick for many years of quality service and desire to improve the status quo duane used to single-handedly manage the uva corner beat for years absolutely mr watson was a bartender at orbits when i was going in there as a UVA student. So we know Mr. Jones or Officer Jones quite well. Questions are coming in incredibly fast here. So this is one of the concerns folks have with FLOC is how the data is used and whether freedoms and rights will be infringed upon. So I will tell you that we will have safeguards in place to make sure that doesn't occur. We are the only jurisdiction in the Commonwealth that's going to have a retention level shorter than 30 days. We're actually at seven days.

Okay. So the data is gone after seven days. Okay. And it is the shortest within the Commonwealth and really across the country. I think there's a few states, maybe one or two, that have shorter retention, but most of them it's 30 days. So I think that's one piece of it. The other one is working with their Commonwealth attorney, Joe Plotania, and people have to realize that if it is misused by an officer,

if an officer goes in and uses the data or queries data for anything other than a legitimate law enforcement purpose, what is that? You're investigating a specific crime. And they have to put in there why they're accessing the data. If that's not done correctly, they could be charged with a Class 1 misdemeanor, which is computer trespass within the Commonwealth of Virginia. And they'll be prosecuted.

So it's, you know, stakes are high to make sure we get this right, and we will. Questions continue to come in, guys. Put them in the feed. We'll relay them live on air. This from philip dow in scottsville how much uh of crime in charlesville is related to folks that are not from charlesville um and he says he absolutely loves what you're doing in this city uh a lot of it and so if you notice where we propose putting the cameras they're not in neighborhoods they're mostly in thoroughfares coming in and out of the city and It's because to that point a lot of the folks who are committing these crimes within the city don't live here

You know and so I think it's important to understand that you know I was asking is why not put the cameras in the neighborhoods You know why not put a camera to cameras on hardy driver? First of all, I don't need cameras inERAS IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS BECAUSE THERE ARE CAMERAS IN ALL THE NEIGHBORHOODS. CRHA PROPERTY HAS A CAMERA ON EVERY BUILDING. SO THERE ARE VERY FEW NEIGHBORHOODS YOU WILL WALK THROUGH IN THE CITY AND YOU WILL NOT BE ON VIDEO.

THIS ISN'T VIDEO. THIS IS A STILL PICTURE OF A LICENSE PLATE. SO THAT'S KIND OF FORMED OUR WHERE WE ARE GOING TO PUT THE CAMERAS, BASICALLY, WHERE THE plate. So, yeah, and that's kind of formed our, of where we're going to put the cameras, basically, you know, where the most thoroughfares in and out of the city. Questions are coming in. This one's a very good one from Jonathan, who's watching the program. Will other police departments or jurisdictions have access to this data? For example, something that happens in Charlottesville that spills to Albemarle County, could the Albemarle County Police Department have access? Yes, within the Commonwealth. That's the other thing

that I put in my policy recommendation, is that we will not be sharing access to our FLOC system outside the Commonwealth of Virginia, which is rare. Most other jurisdictions do. So, you know, FLOC is used, like I said, California is 480. In theory, if I was willing to share information outside of Commonwealth, the California Highway Patrol could have access to our camera system. Now, when I say access, anyone from California Highway Patrol that would have went in there, we know they went in and why they accessed it and all that kind of stuff.

But I've restricted it to just within the Commonwealth of Virginia. And that was through conversations, actually, with Mr. Fogle that I've had, some of his concerns and others. So this question has come in from someone on the feed that's number one in the family. He goes by the moniker Deep Throat. Okay. And he says that some interesting folks with some interesting names. We certainly do. We certainly do. This particular gentleman says this on Twitter. Can he speak to the dynamic with Commonwealth attorney Joe Plantania? And does he feel that the attorney's office is charging the way they should? And if he could put into perspective that relationship. So first of all,

not only is Joe probably one of the best Commonwealth attorneys I've ever worked with, he's a friend. And he, I mean, the guy is thoughtful, you know, and everyone in his office are just, I mean, he's got an office of rock star prosecutors. And they're great. And so, you know, I hear things like, you know, they're light on this or they're light on that. And I haven't seen that. I've got to be honest with you. You know, he and I both agree in restorative principles when it comes to most crime, especially involving juveniles. I mean, the last thing we want to do is put youth in a criminal justice system. It doesn't do them any good. I think where we both draw that line is when you pick up a gun. If there's a firearm involved, sorry, I just don't, you've crossed that line.

And I've said this before, because at that point it's no longer about you. It's about the community now at large, right? You are shooting up a community. People don't feel like their kids can sleep at a window closest to the street. It ain't about you anymore. And so, yeah, we have a great relationship. I've been impressed with their office. And we communicate probably daily.

You and perhaps Mr. Irvin get some props here, have done a fantastic job of communicating with the community. We highlighted a video, Judah brought this to my attention, either it was yesterday or it was late last week, where you did a video on youth and how they're choosing to solve crimes, unfortunately, with firearms instead of face-to-face where like a social media spat spills into in person. And, you know, in our day, you know, not to age either you or I. I think I'm older than you. Perhaps. But you're like a fine one over here. My wife even says that. When we were growing up, there was a little trouble. It was like you go to the playground, you go somewhere there, you figure it out.

Right, yep. And it's not on social media. It's not on social media. It was no video. It was done. Now it lingers. Right. Now it lingers.

There was no weapons then. Now we're having that. Speak to us about the video you did of how youth in the community are choosing perhaps to solve, unfortunately, trouble with firearms and how some youth in the community may be leading to some of the thefts of the vehicles we're seeing in the community. Show us yours on that topic. So communication is important, right? You have to know the community that you're in as a police chief and what they expect. This community expects its police department to communicate with them. It's easy to talk about transparency until it's

time to be transparent, right? And so that goes the good with the bad. Sure. And so, yeah, we've been really focused on making sure that we are out in front of stories, we are open about what's happening in the community, that we're answering questions. And the video thing, if you know anything about media, right, that typically, at least on the news, whether it be News 29 or CBS, when they do an interview with you about a topic, they're only taking snippets for the most part, maybe like a second or two of them, right? And so if I really want our story to get out there about details about something that's that important, we also will video it, right?

So the news folks will do theirs, but Kyle or PIO will video get all of it, to make sure that we also get our story out there. Because that's why when I say, it's really a news release. No offense to radio or news or anything like that about the press, but it ain't about the press. It's about communicating with the community. And for us as a police department, you all are part of that. And so, yeah, we've been really focused on it. Context is what he's referring to. And I haven't seen more context with communication in this department ever in 25

years in Charlottesville. And one of the ways I make my living is with context and media. They're doing it incredibly well. This is from Twitter, Albert Graves. He says, license plate readers are fantastic. Some of the shootings involve stolen cars, and that makes the LP readers somewhat irrelevant.

What other deterrents in the city is the city exploring to help end these violent crimes? And will substations in troubled neighborhoods make a difference? So let me, I'll push back to say that it makes them irrelevant for stolen vehicles, because what we're seeing, actually, is kids, mostly, driving up in a car, multiple individuals in a car, one getting out, stealing a car, and then going to commit a crime and then dumping the car.

The license plate readers are very valuable in understanding that car that brought them and dropped them off. Gotcha. So then we can identify who those folks are and ultimately the person involved in the crime. So there's that piece of it. So what was your other quote? The substations and neighborhoods. Yeah. So right now we only really have one, and that's up on prospect. But like I said, we've hired a lot of folks. Our first group is getting out of FTO probably in the next week or two. And so we've committed to putting officers on the downtown mall full time again. So we'll have a daylight and evening shift officer will be assigned to downtown mall. That's awesome. We've put some, transferred some officers into the detective bureau because they need some help.

They've been doing an amazing job. All six homicides that we had last year were solved. Convictions are coming in one after another, and it's because of the hard work that these men and women within the police department are doing. I mean, they're busting their butts really just to bring justice to families they've never met, and I'm in awe of their work each and every day. I mean, so they need help. So we're moving folks around to where they need to be. The only substation we really have is up on Prospect now, and I'm not sure I would really call it a substation,

but we may get to that. We had them in Alexandria. I'm not sure how effective they were, though. Questions are coming in quickly, guys. If you put them in the feed, I'll relay them live on air. I'll get one from yours truly here. How have you, give us kind of like the X's and O's, improved the dynamic and the relationship with council? So I've worked for several councils.

When I was in Alexandria, I worked with the council very closely. Even though I was a commander, I was a union president there for many years. Worked with council before collective bargaining. So before collective bargaining, the unions would have to work. We had meet and confer, so you were involved. So I had a good relationship with council there. And then in Warrington, we had eight council members. That's a lot. We had five wards, two at large, and a mayor that didn't have a vote. And it was a pretty purple council, so they were kind of all over the place politically. And so that was a real challenge.

This council has probably been the easiest I've ever had to work with. Oh, wow. They are professionals, all of them. They are thoughtful in their questions. I think they really are focusing on governing, you know, and they're not afraid to ask the tough questions either. So, yeah, and I think it's also a testament to the city manager. I mean, he's also really focused on doing things right, you know, processes. And so, yeah, this is, I tell people all the time, they look at me funny, like, Charlottesville? It's like, yeah, it's probably the easiest council I've

ever had to work with because it's just, you know, they're focusing on trying to do things right. Mr. Sam Sanders talked about talk about the city manager, Mr. Sanders, short period on the job. My words here overcame some challenges early in the tenure with Market Street Park. Yeah, he seems to have found a groove, um, as city manager here, um, your boss, Mr. Sanders here, talk to us about that dynamic. He's a leader and, and I, and go back to the market street park stuff. And, and, you know, and I've said this before that, um, he didn't operate in a bubble with that. Obviously he's the leader. He took, you know, it was the, um, he took out

front. He was out front on it. Right. But the reality of it was, it's like, he didn't make decisions just on his own. Right. He consulted me. He talked to me. Um, he really, he he's really thoughtful. And so, uh, but at the end of the day, I mean, you know, he's a leader and that's what leaders do. They have to make tough decisions and sometimes decisions are not always popular. Um, and sometimes you're going to, the community isn't, you know, there, there's going to be folks who can be very loud about things and whatnot. And, um, and that's what leaders do. And so, um, I see it time and time again with him and, um, yeah, he, he's easy to work for. I was very, uh, one of those in the camp that was very loud about Market Street Park. And you weren't the only one. Right. Right. That's for. I was very one of those in the camp that was very loud about Market Street Park.

You weren't the only one. Right, right. That's true. I caught a lot of heat from the portion of the community that, you know, likes to give heat to perhaps your department. I was incredibly impressed with how you helped diffuse Market Street Park at the end, where you were going by tent to tent, and you were communicating with those that were living in tents in the park, saying, look, this is the deadline. How can my guys and gals help you get out of here?

And in the end, I thought a situation that could have been potentially friction-based was handled incredibly. I mean, there was no friction at all. The alternative wasn't good. Right. Right? Right. So we knew that, you know, we knew the stakes were pretty high to make sure we got it right. Uh-huh. I will tell you that we were prepared for worst-case scenario because I think I'd be stupid to come into this city

and not do all of my research and look into what happened in 2017, right, and how things can go bad so quickly when you're not prepared. And so we were prepared for worst-case scenario, but, man, did we work hard to make sure we didn't even get to that. And we did. We went up into the park. We started probably about a day or two ahead of time by going up there with pizzas and talking i'm from jersey i love good pizza and yeah vita nova is my spot i love vita nova i see you at vita nova it's a good place yeah it's a good slice um so we went we went up there and built

relationships with folks and and i will say uh the unhoused community here in Charlotte, they're good folks, man. They're, they're not, they're not here to hurt people or anything like that. They just, you know, just like, just like many things, man, it's expensive living in the city. It's a, there's a lot going on when you look at the unhoused, whether it be mental illness, uh, education, all those things that, that, that are complex when it comes to that, that, that whole conversation. Um, but yeah, I went up there and they just wanted somewhere to go. Right. And so let's try to find a place for them to go. And that's what we did. And, um, and it worked out, it worked out really well. And I'm proud of my staff for what they did as well. Cause you know, they were in here on a

Saturday. Let's, let's get this done. It went extremely well. Kevin Higgins watching the program. We got the DBAC watching the program. Mr. Higgins says this. Good afternoon, Chief. Let's talk about some good stuff. My bet is why you chose your career is the good stuff. Could he highlight a success story or two that you remember the most from juveniles that turned their lives around, whether guys or gals? Positive stories. I think of one, and I won't say his name, but it was in Alexandria. I remember I was a young officer working in one of the housing projects I was assigned as the community officer.

Basically, my job was to go down there every day and just be in that neighborhood and build relationships, talk to folks, and stuff like that. And I remember arresting a kid for, I think he was like dealing some weed or something like that. And I remember him in the back of my car while I was bringing him down to booking. And I could just see like

this tear come down his eye. And I was like, this kid, he was a good kid. He just, you know, he was, he lived there. He wanted to get out of the neighborhood, couldn't find a way out. And now, like he's reached out to me on LinkedIn and stuff. Like he's, like, he's in like an investment. He does investment like banking now, um, got out of it, got out of that situation, you know, is, uh, just really, really successful. And he said, that was a turning point in his life realizing this ain't me. You know, it's like that reality check when you're walking into a booking you know you're like i'm this ain't this ain't me i want better than that so so i we still talk

you know we chat and um that is a success story and and i i tell my officers to take those and put them away because you're gonna need to go back to those sometimes for fuel yeah man because sometimes the job sucks right right? And you're going to want to quit, and so you're going to need to pull out those reminders of why you did it. And so, yeah, that's one for me. You mentioned the rehabilitation or the turning point of a young person that you encountered. Last semester was a tough semester for Charlottesville High School. Oh, it was. We saw on a number of occasions your team and your vehicles on school grounds at CHS. Since the last semester, which, you know, it was an unofficial teacher

sick out that eventually led to the superintendent having to cancel school around the Thanksgiving holiday. Since that sick out, we have had an interim principal, front of the program, and Principal Kenny Leatherwood. We've had a permanent principal name. He will start in July. And we seem to have a turning point around Charlottesville High School. I'll start open-ended with the only high school in the city. Last semester versus this semester, what did you see?

So I actually was, I was just talking to Dr. Gurley the other day. Okay. And I was like, and you know, I drive by Lucas McGinnis every day, right, LMA. And I told him, I was like, I just got to tell you,

and again, I don't know if it means anything, but when I drive by there, like in the evening, I see the kids out, like it just seems like a good vibe. Okay. Like they're, I don't know. It like a good vibe okay like they're i don't know it just seems good it seems different i don't know and um i think some of the things that the superintendent has done has really worked you know i mean you had folks in the school who weren't

letting other kids um you know learn and so he had to find a way to remove them from that environment so folks could learn, but in the same time, not just push them out on the street, because that doesn't do any good anyway. So he did night school. And I think it's gone a long way. Dr. Gurley and I do talk regularly. We have a very good relationship. And again, we talk about leaders, right, like the city manager or Dr. Gurley. I mean, you see leaders during those tough times when y'all are, like, being loud about it, right? Right. And how do you handle it? And that's the true test, and I think he's passed that test.

We on this show, and, again, I catch heat for this, are huge proponents of school resource officers. As am I. I will tell you. I Our huge proponents of school resource officers. As am I. I will tell you. I think there's value in school resource officers. I was going to throw that to you, what the value is. I have no problem saying it. And then the follow-up to that, I'm a huge proponent of the metal detectors. Okay.

I don't know enough about those, to be honest with you. So here's what I'll say about the school resource officers in different programs. I wasn't here when they decided to pull them out. And so I'm assuming that was a decision that was made that was thoughtful that you know it was a mutual decision and so i'm not going to go back and second guess that okay um i have had conversations with dr girley about school resource officers and what that might look like and what um you know what models are out there. There are other models out there, whether it be the Cambridge model, Massachusetts, that's been very effective.

They actually, through their school resource, they call them a community resource officers or something, have created a pre-arrest diversion program within the police department for the SROs because the idea is, and this is where I do agree with opponents to SROs, is that we shouldn't be in classrooms enforcing school rules in the classroom. We're there for safety, and we're there to build meaningful relationships with children and law enforcement. I mean, I still have our former school resource officers here who get calls from parents

and kids that they they were there when they were there and and around christmas and stuff so um so i think there's value in it we are having that conversation but it's a big conversation and it's a money conversation jerry as well right like so they when they pulled them out they defunded those positions so someone's gonna have to pay for those positions if they come back they're not in the school's budget for this year right so it's a longer conversation and it needs to be a thoughtful conversation um well said a few more questions for you and viewers and listeners let us know your thoughts we got a lot coming in here um this question's coming in are the new hires with the

police department he said he went from 30 vacancies to three vacancies. Are those hires coming from within the community? Some, not enough, but some. And Jerry, it's not like cheap to live in this community. Right, right. You know, and so, you know, we've been very successful in getting some from the community. We did a few hiring blitzes where basically out at CHS where you show up, apply, take the written test, physical agility, all in the same spot, interview.

And we had some success there getting some folks from within the community. But it's a challenge. It is a huge challenge. And it's the cost of living. I mean, I live in this community. It ain't cheap. The follow-up question from the viewer, her name is Jennifer. She lives in Belmont. She says, are the officers, Jerry, you mentioned on previous shows that officers have not been able to afford to live in city limits.

Has that changed at all? Not really. Because I don't think it's gotten any cheaper. Right. It's gotten more expensive. That's a fair question though, Jennifer. Questions coming in. This is from DBAC members. Since Chief Kachis has been on the job, we've noticed a change with the downtown mall, safety and perception wise. How will the department stay committed to downtown, which is still feeling very vulnerable? So, you know, that's a really good question and a point that she, who's it? Oh, on the dbac yeah yeah uh perception right who's i talking to last i was talking to someone last night when i went home about numbers

and like what is what do we define as success right typically a police department say crimes down by this percentage that's a success but that doesn't mean anything to a person like myself who the other night heard four gunshots a block from my house. So perception matters as well. Mm-hmm. Right? I could say all day long, shots fired, calls are down, crime is down. But that's nothing to the family who just had to bury their son. Right?

And so it's important that we understand that. Because I'll tell you, the mall's safe. The mall is a safe place to be. But if the perception that it's not, then we've got a problem and we've got to do something about it. How do we change that? Well, I think it takes time. We've got to get officers

back down there. Look, the police aren't the solution to everything. Honestly, the police aren't the solution to most things, if we're going to be honest. But, you know, I see Jude over there laughing. You like that one, didn't you? But, you know, we need to be present first. Build relationships with folks down there, whether it be the young house community, business owners, listen to their concerns.

I think that goes a long way to making folks feel safer. Thomas watching in the Greenbrier neighborhood. He says, I'm looking at a police chief that is a major metro chief. Please ask Jerry, the chief, if he has aspirational plans outside of Charlottesville, because we're lucky to have him and we hope he doesn't leave. I think I answered this question last time. This is my last job, Jerry. I love that. I'm going to retire to Key West. There you go. Is that what it is? One day. Are we talking Key West on Route 20 or Key West, Florida? Florida. My wife is more like she wants property in Montana, but man, that's getting expensive. It is getting expensive.

There's nowhere that's cheap. So anyway, this is it for me. Fantastic. How's everything going with the family? It's good. Really good. Really good. We love the restaurant scene.

Since last time we were together here, we've expanded to other restaurants and other places that we like to frequent now, and it's great. So, yeah, Sharks was a great city. I sincerely mean this. We're lucky to have you. You have changed the community in 14 months more than anyone I've seen changing community in a short time, in 25 years. You're filling up the department with capable and able and fair bodies. You are a fantastic face to the department. You are multi-talented and clearly leadership, but communication, fairness. You have the gift of human connection and be able to speak to folks from different socioeconomic backgrounds.

I'm as excited as I've been in 25 years for Charlottesville, and I think you hit it. Now it's just a matter of time so the perception can change. And it's going to take time. And I think it's, yeah, right? Culture change, they say, what, three to five years? You know, it takes time, and it doesn't happen overnight and not everybody's going to agree with me and that's okay i mean you came into charlottesville and arguably one of the most vulnerable times for charlottesville fresh from august 2017 fresh from two different police chiefs fresh from political turmoil you came into a department that was reeling, that was vacant, missing personnel, had some issues with personnel, and you took over a job that folks probably may have said to you that

you're nuts to take this job. They did. Right? And you turned it around. Yeah, I mean, you know, when I got here, Jerry, like, you see the folks that were in that organization that are still here. Think about this for a minute. My command staff, most of my command staff, were here in 2017. Think of the value that is to have that perspective.

I have a command staff that isn't afraid to sit in a room and be like, Chief, don't step on that landmine. Or like, they're just, they, they have it. Right. And, and it makes them better leaders as a result. And so, yeah, I'm really lucky to have the people I have. Um, they were always here, you know, and they, they didn't always get it right. I don't always get it right, but they're good people within that organization. They just wanted to be appreciated.

We can't call our cops names and treat them that way. We've got to lift them up. And I think when you do that, you're going to get the best of people. I 1,000% agree. That's why we back the blue and we champion the blue in this community. Folks, they are community members just like us, and it's the golden rule. Folks want to be treated how they want to be treated themselves. And if we all live with that mindset, it's going to be a better Charlottesville.

Chief Kachis, we are grateful for you. Yeah, thank you, Jerry. I really appreciate it. I sincerely mean that. Yeah, absolutely. Chief Mike Kachis, guys at the Charlottesville Police Department. We'll talk the nitty-gritty from this interview on tomorrow's edition of the I Love Seville show. We also have a number of breaking news stories

that are going to happen on tomorrow's program from the business and real estate sectors here in this community. I hope you enjoy the program as much as we do. We just want to be the water cooler of conversation for a community that certainly is looking for that conversation to happen. For Chief Kotchis and Judah Wickhauer, my name is Jerry Miller. Thank you for joining us.

So long, everybody.