TOLEDO, Ohio — A mother's perspective.
That's what Gina Long brings when the conversation involves the safety of officers on the streets.
Long's son, Toledo Police Officer Anthony Dia, was killed in the line of duty.
Dia was on solo patrol when he was fatally shot while checking on an intoxicated person at an informal gathering in a Home Depot parking lot in west Toledo on July 4, 2020.
His death brought change to department policy.
"Chief Kral said 'what can I do for you right now?' And I said, 'why was my son alone?'" Long said. "And he immediately called two-man crews."
Two-man crews are a safety tactic requiring two police officers to a squad car.
It was implemented by the Toledo Police Department after the deaths of officers Anthony Dia and Brandon Stalker, who were fatally shot in the line of duty within six months of each other in July 2020 and January 2021 respectively.
While it was required back then, it is now optional after training.
Long says she believes the two-man crews should continue and that officers should travel in numbers.
"I do think two-man crews is important, especially on that night shift," Long said. "I do think a lot of horrible things happen at night that shouldn't be happening."
She said it's hard to have that much safety if recruitment numbers are low.
"I think the problem with thinking that two-man crews is possible, there's not enough officers. There's not enough people signing up to do this scary, courageous job," said Long. "Being human in a uniform with a little vest to protect you, there's just not enough."
After seeing some of the things Dia had to do at work, Long said she always worried about her son and his safety as he would patrol the city at night, alone, and send her videos.
"Those hours, are so scary. So, so scary," Long said. "I had to tell him, like, 'son you cannot send those to me, they literally make my stomach hurt.'"
She said she would like to see more from the community to help keep officers safe, like creating and maintaining a safe space for people to gather, rather than a hundred people in a parking lot that may lead to problems.
"There's so much to do with the community and like, we can do better. I know Toledo can do better," said Long. "It's sad. The world is sad and these officers, I think each and every one of them are human and they're doing the best they can."
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