AMHERST — Whether from permanent residents or college students, homeowners or renters, or supporters or critics of law enforcement, Police Chief Gabriel Ting values a wide variety of input and opinions to improve how his department serves Amherst.

“To be honest, I welcome it,” Ting says. “Being vocal means people care, and if people didn’t care, it would be harder to move forward.”

In a town that periodically raises concerns about police, Ting said he is sensitive to when people say certain places are overpoliced, but also doesn’t want to respond by creating an “us vs. them” narrative.

“We need to listen to the community to figure out what they want,” Ting said. “We have big ears, little mouths.”

After 27 years on the force, including five years as police captain in charge of operations, Ting became permanent chief in April, selected by Town Manager Paul Bockelman after nearly a year in the interim role. A ceremonial swearing-in is set for Monday’s Town Council meeting.

Speaking from his recently refurbished office at the Main Street police station, Ting said he wants to meet people where they are and to chat with them, whether at the police station, on the streets or at community events in their neighborhoods — or even at a local supermarket when he is off duty, understanding the value of informal dialogue.

Bockelman cited Ting’s strong commitment to progressive policing and called him the candidate best positioned to lead the department into the future when he recommended him to take over for Scott Livingstone, who retired after almost 14 years at the helm. Ting also was endorsed by the police supervisors union, whose president, Sgt. Scott Gallagher, read a statement of support during the candidate interviews.

Ting brings perhaps a unique perspective on how policing should be done, having grown up in Amherst as the son of immigrants and now living in Belchertown, though close to the town line. Born in Argentina to Chinese parents, Ting is a 1991 graduate of Amherst Regional High School, joining the police force as a patrol officer in April 1997.

Ting took over a department that has 46 sworn officers when fully staffed, with six currently in police academy and one deployed overseas, down a bit from years past.

Fewer arrests

One significant change during his time as chief has been a reduction in the number of people police are charging with crimes and taking into custody, which Ting calls a philosophical and cultural adjustment.

“We’ve moved away from arrests as our savior,” Ting said. “That’s a Band-Aid for the moment.”

Instead, the department is pursuing long-term meaningful change, including using two in-house clinicians employed by Clinical and Support Options, who can go with officers to calls dealing with mental health issues. Ting said he also wants to incorporate the Community Responders for Equity, Safety and Service into certain police calls as well.

One concept he is immediately beginning is having officer liaisons at apartment complexes, building on the existing sector-based policing model. These officers can be a conduit for both the residents and management so concerns can be addressed promptly.

“A lot of times we don’t know what’s going on at the complexes until we’re called there,” Ting said. “We learn a lot of problems are misunderstandings.

“The more conversations, the more relationships we can build,” Ting said.

Ting said that public perception of police can be affected by national events such as the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd, or the local incident captured on video in two years ago in which local teens were told by police officers they had no rights.

Ting has participated in Community Safety and Social Justice Committee meetings and responded to criticisms of the department, but rather than dwell on the past, he said he wants to look forward and make improvements by listening to others.

“Some complaints are valid,” Ting said. “While I find myself accessible, I have to recognize there are other perceptions.”

Outreach to students

Ting is pleased with the department’s efforts to do outreach to teenagers. Officers participate in the Morning Movement at the schools, where two hours or so before classes start, police are involved in a mentorship program that includes basketball and brings in officers from UMass and Amherst College as well.

Another initiative officers are involved in is Steps to Success with the Family Center, an empowerment program aimed at middle school girls. Amherst police are also involved with the Massachusetts State Police Unity Basketball Program and the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality, or RISE, where officers work with town Diversity, Equity and Inclusion staff to talk about social justice and ways to bridge the gaps.

“We really want to connect to the youth in this town,” Ting said, adding that from his own experience this can help eliminate barriers.

College students will be returning to town soon, with signs posted on the UMass campus that move-in begins Aug. 28, and Ting said planning is well underway for the fall semester. Part of the preparation has been for possible protests, as the spring semester wound down with 134 arrests on campus at a pro-Palestinian encampment. Amherst police played a strictly backup role in the law enforcement response there.

While quality-of-life issues involving students have long been a concern, Ting said he’s seeing a tapering off of student disruptions recently. There has also been more collaboration by the department with student groups.

“We’re trying to incorporate them into the conversation,” Ting said. “They are part of the community, if they have a voice and a say in things. It will mitigate a lot of the problems that might arise.”

The department has one officer, William Laramee, who works with the Off Campus Student Life department at UMass. Laramee has focused on town-gown relations, using the department’s comfort dog Auggie to meet students. He also talks to sororities and fraternities at UMass, along with sports teams.

Resource fairs will be happening to enhance student relationships, with three scheduled: from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 11 on Fearing Street, Sept. 18 on Farview Way and Sept. 24 on North Prospect Street.

The department also has a strong partnership with Craig’s Doors, the emergency shelter for homeless at a North Amherst church, and looks forward to when the shelter will be permanently incorporated into a development on Main Street.

Administrative issues

Ting is facing administrative issues within the department as well. Recruitment and retention of officers is an issue as fewer are interested in pursuing careers. “We are fighting for the same pool of applicants,” Ting said.

Ting will also have to address issues with the nearly 35-year-old station, such as a broken air conditioning system, but observes that the entire fleet of vehicles are hybrids and the department keeps sustainability in mind.

Amherst police have cameras in the cruisers, but officers don’t yet use body cameras. Ting said he is open to them and a decision that should be made by the community.

At events like Cuppa Joe with Bockelman, set for next month, people will have a chance to ask Ting questions, which he welcomes as the leader of the department, and in some ways a symbol of what it stands for.

“The whole department needs to be present — we have to be part of the community,” Ting said.