Going behind the badge

We have all seen the video of police-involved shooting scenes, angry protesters and body cameras showing the shocking details. Most of us have our own views about what we are seeing. But, most of us do not know what it is like to walk in the shoes of a police officer or even understand why they would want to do this job.

"I've never experienced hatred until I became a policeman and put on the uniform," said Greg Garlock, retired Lima Police Chief. "I mean truly there were people that just hated me for what I did and it was hard to comprehend that. Why, just arbitrarily, you don't know me and you would take that attitude."

Garlock started in August of 1971 as a patrol officer and moved up the ranks to eventually become the chief. His career spanned 39 and a half years. His father was a police officer and so are the majority of the men in the family, including his son, Jason.

"His instincts on the street are ten times what mine were," Garlock said. "He just has the gift."

"I worked hard to get my face out there, to get my name out there. I tried to work hard on my reputation as having a reputation for being honest and by the book. I never lied to people, " said Sgt. Jason Garlock. "If I had to take you to jail, I would tell you that. I would never tell you anything but the truth."

Sgt. Garlock, Greg's son, believes community-oriented policing is going to be the answer to today's problems between law enforcement and the community.

"Do I understand the frustrations when they are stopped for traffic? Absolutely. Do I see the fear in officers when they go up to an unknown situation? Absolutely. As in everything, the answer lies somewhere in the middle and we both have to continue to learn and educate each other and be patient, that this is a working process and it's going to take a long time to get there but as a society, we can do that," said Sgt. Garlock.

His father Greg, agrees, "There has to be understand that we're not enemies here. We should be working together."