POCATELLO — Both Pocatello Police Chief Scott Marchand and Bannock County Sheriff Lorin Nielsen agree on two things when it comes to riots that took place in Ferguson, Mo., this week. First, it’s imperative to have officers who are part of the community, and, second, lessons will be learned for law enforcement all over the country.

    Riots and looting have occurred in the community of about 20,000 outside of St. Louis after a black teenager, Michael Brown, was shot and killed by a white police officer on Aug. 9. According to news reports, the population of Ferguson is 67 percent black and only three of the city’s 53 police officers are black. And a number of those officers do not live in the community but commute to work.

    “When you live in a community, you know your neighbors,” Marchand said. “You take some ownership in it. You know the people and you know the culture.”

    The majority of the Pocatello police force lives in Pocatello or Chubbuck.

    Marchand said he encourages his officers to get involved in community groups and activities.

    “We have a vested interest in this community,” the chief said. “When you disconnect yourself from that, it (law enforcement) becomes just a job for you.”

    Sheriff Nielsen agrees.

    “I think trust is a two-way street,’” he said. “I think there’s trust in our community when it comes to law enforcement.”

    Nielsen said programs such as Neighborhood Watch and the fact the county has many search and rescue units and fire departments that rely on civilian volunteers helps foster that trusting relationship.

    “It’s not just a job,” Marchand said. “It’s where we live.”

    The city does conduct training on crowd control and has a unit prepared to respond to a large unruly group if that ever occurs, according to the chief.

    “We try to be prepared, but it takes a lot of people to respond to things like that,” Marchand said, adding that its better to have relationships between police and the community that don’t lend themselves to mass upheaval.

    “It’s not all about throwing people in jail,” Marchand said. “You want to solve problems and work with people to get that done.”

    The chief said he has been watching the news coverage of the Ferguson shooting and subsequent riots and called the situation “tragic.”

    “I would never, ever want to armchair quarterback that situation,” he said. “I’m sure they’ll do a complete investigation.”

    Nielsen commended the move by the Missouri State Highway Patrol who have taken over the situation in Ferguson following the riots and looting over the shooting.

    “It was smart to bring in that state police captain who grew up there (in Ferguson),” Nielsen said.

    Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon appointed Capt. Ron Johnson to head up the security operations in the suburb and Johnson was scheduled to meet with protesters on Thursday.

    Both Southeast Idaho law enforcement leaders said it is important to have contacts within a community to assist whenever a touchy situation arises. Marchand said city police leaders in Ferguson should have reached out to clergy or the NAACP immediately after the fatal shooting and asked for help.

    Nielsen said he would hold an immediate press conference after an incident like the shooting in Missouri, share the known facts with the community and assure it that an outside investigation would determine the truth.

    “It’s best to be transparent,” Nielsen said.

    And both men said lessons will be learned from a study of the events that unfolded in Ferguson after the shooting.

    “You learn from something like this and there’s no doubt this is a learning opportunity,” Marchand said.

    Nielsen said in his 34 years of law enforcement he’s never seen rioting or looting in Southeast Idaho.

    “I guess that’s why we live here,” he said.

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